Thursday, March 4, 2010

Looking Forward to Spring

It is fun every three months or so to look at what is coming up on the theatrical horizon.  It is less fun to realize that three whole months have gone by since my last blog of this sort.  (Note to Mom:  You were right time goes by faster and faster as you get older!)  Let's see how I did with  accomplishing anything from my winter to do/wish list before I launch into my Spring list.

  • I didn't see either play I was looking forward to: The Miracle Worker or Time Stands Still.  Why?  No time between snow storms and work.  Would still like to see both, though the latter seems highly unlikely as the run is limited.
  • I saw half the musicals I was looking forward to: A Little Night Music.  It was glorious, with the always marvelous Angela Lansbury, and the revelatory performance of Catherine Zeta-Jones.  I can't wait for the cast recording.  And I'd love to see it again...  The other show?  It never happened.  But I have a feeling it will eventually - Spider-Man don't let me down!
  • And the holdover?  Even though the extended a week beyond the original closing date, my tickets for  Ragtime were still too little too late.  Ugh!  The completist in me cringes, knowing it will be the only revival I didn't see!

Which brings me to Spring (March - May).  I am very fortunate because circumstances (friends, a birthday coming up and a decent tax refund) have made it possible for me to actually have tickets for almost everything I have on my Spring to see list.  Now, if they all stay open long enough

Musicals


The Addams Family at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre

OK, this one pleases the theatregoer in me for three reasons.  One, I love the cast - chock full of Broadway stars, including a great diva, Ms. Bebe Neuwirth, and a great musical comedian, Mr. Nathan Lane.  The supporting cast ain't too shabby, either.  When someone with a resume like Terrence Mann's is playing a supporting role, how bad can the gig really be?  Two, I love the shows that have a whiff of trouble... they are never completely fixed, they are usually more clever than the general public realizes, and they are great to buzz about for months!  And three, most of all, actually... I love The Addams Family cartoons, movies, and TV show.


American Idiot at the St. James Theatre

See my blog on the show when it first started at Berkley Rep.  To sum up:  modern, great cast, unlikely Broadway marriage of rock stars to stage.  And if the arrangement and performance of "21 Guns" is any indication, I can't wait to see it!


Come Fly Away at the Marquis Theatre

I love me some dancing!  I love me some Twyla Tharp.  And John Selya.  And Ashley Tuttle.  And Keith Roberts.  Oh!  And a guy named Frank.  Sinatra.  Count me in!


La Cage aux Folles at the Longacre Theatre

It is totally too soon for a revival of this show.  But the entire cast (beyond Kelsey Grammer) intrigues me.  The snazzy, sexy logo lures me.  And I can't wait to see something by Jerry Herman roughed up a little.  (I'm secretly hoping for an updated Mame.)


Million Dollar Quartet at the Nederlander Theatre

This one is on the list simply because I want to have seen every new musical that opened this season.  Soon, I'll be blogging about a show that could be the older brother of MDQ, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story.  The music, I will love.  The two Broadway folks, Hunter Foster and Elizabeth Stanley  are two of my favorites.  But my worst fear is that it will still, like Buddy, end up being a big snore.


Promises, Promises at the Broadway Theatre

A no-brainer!  Broadway debut by "Jack," Sean Hayes, Broadway darling Kristin Chenoweth, and sexy movie star Tony Goldwyn, not to mention the supporting cast of Tony winners and nominees.  Oh!  And they added another great Bacharach and David song, "I Say a Little Prayer"!  Don't know if I can wait until the end of May to see this!!!


Sondheim on Sondheim  at Studio 54

Stephen Sondheim is one of my idols.  I adore Barbara Cook and Vanessa Williams.  And I have really come to enjoy and respect Tom Wopat.  This is a combination of talents we will never see again.

Plays


A Behanding in Spokane at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre

I have yet to see a Martin McDonagh play that I wasn't completely smitten with.  He is rough, tough and supremely entertaining.  And the stranger the premise the better.  The cast isn't bad, either...


Enron at the Broadhurst Theatre

I have to admit that "ripped from the headlines" plays aren't generally my cup of tea.  No matter how great Frost/Nixon was, you couldn't have dragged me to see it.  But the more I hear about this play/musical/play with music/event theatre piece, and the more cast they announce, the more I want to see it.


Lend Me a Tenor at the Music Box Theatre

It was an ok show in the late 1980's.  I remember it being funny.  If I make it to this one, it will be entirely because I want to see Anthony LaPaglia, Tony Shalhoub and Justin Bartha on stage.


Next Fall at the Helen Hayes Theatre

I've blogged about my general distaste at the over gaying of Broadway shows in recent years; and I've blogged about the shift in tone and content of gay theatre.  So Next Fall has definitely been on my radar.  I hate to admit this - but we are all friends here, right? - the article that is now a huge poster outside the theatre is what sold me on the play.  I love to laugh and cry (Steel Magnolias is a favorite) and I love a play that deals with controversy in a thought-provoking way.  So, I have a ticket!

Holdovers


Fela! at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre

The more I see of it, the more I'm afraid I'm right.  I have a feeling a little bit of Fela! will go a long way.  Don't know if I'll be able to stand 2 plus hours of it.  (I could barely tolerate Stomp! - driving rhythms tend to make me edgy and nervous in big doses...)  But I also know that I'll probably get a ticket (one of the few on this list I don't have) because I'll want to see every new musical that opened this year.  (If you've seen it and liked it, let me know, will you?)


The Miracle Worker at the Circle in the Square

It opened yesterday, but after I wrote this, so I won't know about reviews.  But like I said last time, I love the play and the stars.  So I am going to see it!


Out of this entire list, there are only four that I don't already have tickets for.  Not bad!  Some I'll see in previews, some right after opening and others a coupe months into their run.  But I will have seen them all in plenty of time to add my two cents' worth in the Tony Award guessing game.


Comments?  Leave one here or email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com.
Jeff

2 comments:

  1. Dont worry about MDQ being a big brother of Buddy Holly or a snorer. It will knock your socks off and put a huge smile on your face.

    Jerry Katell (notice my initials)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey, JK!

    Thanks for writing! I hope you are right. The funny thing is that with Buddy and Jersey Boys, I love the music so much, the shows disappointed me. I know I'm in the minority there, especially on Jersey Boys.

    And so I go into MDQ with high hopes and low expectations. Most of the time that means I'll love it! (Memphis is a great example of that.)

    Good luck with the show! Write back!

    Jeff

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