At This Theater: The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre

Opening in 1927 as the Royale Theatre, the house was renamed the John Golden for a few years (the John Golden today is one door down now, of course), then back to the Royale for 65 years. That's the name on several Playbills in my collection. Then, in 2005, the theater was renamed for the longtime president of the Shubert Organization: The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. Home to the plays and musicals of many legends, the theater has hosted premieres of Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker, and both The Glass Menagerie and The Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams, among others. Modern classics include 'night Mother, Cactus Flower, Who's Life Is It Anyway?, Speed-the Plow, Lend Me a Tenor and Art. Among the musicals that have left their mark are Grease, Hollywood/Ukraine, and a pair of Andrew Lloyd Webber works: Joseph...Dreamcoat and Song and Dance. 

  

  

Much like its neighbor, the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, there hasn't been a single performance I've seen there that I didn't enjoy. My first was A.R. Gurney's Sweet Sue starring Mary Tyler Moore and Lynn Redgrave, and most recently, the 2024 Best Musical Tony winner, The Outsiders. All told, I've seen 12 productions there. It is one of my favorite Broadway houses.

At This Theatre:

The Bernard B. Jacobs

Number of Shows We've Seen There: 12

      

      

      

The Shows We've Seen There:

13, Almost Famous, An Inspector Calls, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Company (2021), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Once, Parade (2023), Sweet Sue, The Color Purple, The Outsiders, and Triumph of Love

Our Favorite Shows Here:

Of the even dozen, here are our six favorites. We loved each of them so much, it would be impossible to rank them, so here they are in alphabetical order:

Almost Famous: Here's a show I went into knowing very little about it beyond knowing that it was based on a beloved film that I had never seen, and it featured a score by one of my favorite composers, Tom Kitt. What a delightful surprise! I loved every single minute of it. And with it, I was introduced to some of my now-favorite performers like Casey Likes and Chris Wood, as well as reconnecting with other already favorites like Drew Gehling, Gerard Canonico and Van Hughes. I wish I'd have had the chance to see it again.

Company (2021 Revival): Marianne Elliott reinterpreted one of my favorite Stephen Sondheim shows/scores, and with a cast full of my Broadway favorites including Tony-winners Patti LuPone and Matt Doyle, as well as star Katrina Lenk. Then there's Etai Benson, Nikki Rene Daniels, Claybourne Elder, Christopher Seiber and Jennifer Simard. And it was an absolute thrill to be in the same room as LuPone singing "The Ladies Who Lunch."

Once: Much like Almost Famous, I went into this one knowing only that it was based on a small independent film. It took all of about five minutes for me to fall completely in love with the love story of Guy (Steve Kazee) and Girl (Cristin Milioti) and their pub friends. Creatively told and with a lovely score, I cried throughout most of it, most inconsolably during its signature song, "Falling Slowly."

Parade (2023): Michael Arden does it again, reinventing and reinvigorating modern classics in such a way as to make them feel brand new. After Spring Awakening and Once On This Island, I couldn't wait to see what he'd do with Parade. I was not disappointed. Ben Platt has never been better with a simultaneously powerful and fragile performance, and Micaela Diamond soared as the tower of strength that was Lucille Frank. Stellar performances from Sean Alan Krill, Paul Alexander Nolan, Howard McGillin, Alex Joseph Grayson and Jay Armstrong Johnson were truly an embarrassment of riches. 

The Color Purple: Here's a show we almost didn't see, but we have Audra to thank for our seeing this brilliant production. I had seen the original production and really didn't care for it, so we got tickets for Shuffle Along. But that day, Ms. McDonald was out, so we got a refund, and scored tickets for this instead. Turns out that John Doyle stripped it down, tightened it up, and assembled a company of actors up to the challenge. We saw the return of Heather Headley in a dazzling turn as Shug, and the supreme privilege of seeing the star turn of Cynthia Erivo - a true performance for the ages.

The Outsiders: I'm still reeling from the sheer theatricality of Danya Taymor's staging, the gritty design of every element, and the brilliance of the earthy and violent choreography of Rick and Jeff Kuperman. For me, though, it is the poetic and rich book by Adam Rapp and Justin Levine, and score by Jamestown Revival that elevated and expanded the already exquisite novel by S.E. Hinton. Then, too, there is the thrill of seeing a crop of new, exciting talent explode on the scene. I expect big futures from Brody Grant, Sky Lakota-Lynch, Brent Comer, Joshua Boone and Jason Schmidt to name a few.

Looking Forward to Spring: March - May 2022

Tomorrow, it will have been exactly two years since I last posted a "Looking Forward to..." quarterly column. What is interesting about looking back at that is seeing that in recent months I actually got to see a few of them, and am looking forward (as you'll see) to seeing a few of them. Given everything that has happened in the past two years, it is wonderful to see that many of those shows are still around, while mourning the loss of a few. 

Looking Forward to Spring:

March - May 2022

As we normally do, before we look ahead, we look back at what we did see. And we were very, very fortunate, with a series of amazing shows: Caroline, Or Change (C+), off-Broadway's Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas (A), The Music Man (A), the new version of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (A+), Six (A+), a second trip to Jagged Little Pill (A+), and two absolutely stunning Sondheim revivals, Company (A+) and Assassins (A++). That's a very solid A average, which is the best way to get back to the art that we love!

This spring certainly looks like it'll be a super busy one, and here are nine shows we are excited to see over the next three months.

Broadway Plays:

The Minutes (Broadway - Studio 54) - A holdover from before times, the cast is aces, to subject matter timely, and its a new-ish work from Tracy Letts. I really hope we get to this one!

Neil Simon's Plaza Suite (Broadway - Hudson Theatre) - Okay, if we are being honest, I can take or leave Matthew Broderick, but I do enjoy Sarah Jessica Parker, and Simon revivals are few and far between lately. He's one of my favorite playwrights, so it's on the list.

Take Me Out (Broadway - Hayes Theatre) - Another show from before times, this past two years have only made me want to see it more. I've seen it regionally years ago, and it's a solid work. Really looking forward to seeing a Broadway-level production.

Broadway Musicals:

Funny Girl (Broadway - August Wilson Theatre) - I think people believe this is a show that is better than it actually is, but they are blinded by the legendary star-turn of one Barbra Streisand. And though the score is pretty good, with a few real classics, the book is, to be nice, dull. Well, thankfully Harvey Fierstein is doctoring it, so that has great potential, and Michael Mayer is at the helm, so it could be staged in a really cool way. Beanie Feldstein has huge shoes to fill, but I'm optimistic, and I'm always up to seeing Ramin Karimloo.

MJ: The Musical (Broadway - Neil Simon Theatre) - I want to hear the music and watch the dancing. I'm a child of the 80s. That's it.

Mr. Saturday Night (Broadway - Nederlander Theatre) - I've never seen the movie, and frankly these "make any movie into a musical" musicals are really hit or miss. For every Once and The Band's Visit there's two or three Tootsies it seems. But here's why I'm looking forward to this one: Jason Robert Brown's score and the cast. I've always liked Billy Crystal and David Paymer, and, well, what's not to love about Randy Graff and Shosha Bean?

Mrs. Doubtfire (Broadway - Stephen Sondheim Theatre) - I meant what I said above about these "make any movie into a musical" musicals. But we already had tickets for it, which were cancelled when Covid hit the cast. It's probably the lowest on our list, but if we make it, Rob McClure never disappoints.

Paradise Square (Broadway - Barrymore Theatre) - As you probably know, the sharks are circling the blood in the water that comes with this one. Most of it is aimed at the show's producer, Garth Dabrinsky, a bad man by all accounts. But let's not forget that he did bring us Best Musicals Fosse, and Kiss of the Spider Woman, Best Musical Revival Show Boat, and the much beloved Ragtime and Parade. The story sounds great, and I'm dying to see Jaoquina Kalukango in action. If you read this site even semi-regularly, you know I love challenging shows most of all, success or flop!

A Strange Loop (Broadway - Lyceum Theatre) - What else is there to say? this is the one I'm looking forward to the most. I simply cannot wait. Bring it on! 

Broadway From A to Z: B

Today, we continue our new series that is strictly to the letter. Broadway From A to Z, will look at the people, shows and history of The Great Bright Way! Obviously, with each entry, we'll only be able to scratch the surface of all there is out there. If we don't include your favorites this time, we'll get back to it in the next round! Check out A here.

Broadway From A to Z: B

8 People

John Lee Beatty (scenic designer) - 115+ Broadway shows; 2 Tony Awards, 15 nominations; Talley's Folly, The Nance, Proof, Doubt, The Color Purple

Michael Bennett (actor/dancer/director/choreographer/producer) - 1943 - 1987; Pulitzer Prize, 7 Tony Awards, 15 nominations; A Chorus Line, Dreamgirls, Follies, Company, Seesaw, Ballroom, Promises, Promises, Bajour, Subways Are For Sleeping

Laura Benanti (actor) - 1 Tony Award, 5 nominations; Gypsy, She Loves Me, My Fair Lady, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, In the Next Room (The Vibrator Play), The Wedding Singer, Into the Woods, Swing!, The Sound of Music

Christian Borle (actor) - 2 Tony Awards, 4 nominations; Something Rotten!, Peter and the Star Catcher, Legally Blonde, Falsettos, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mary Poppins, Spamalot

Beatty, Bennett, Benanti

Borle, Brooks

Brown, Buckley, Burstein

Mel Brooks (writer/composer/lyricist/producer) - 3 Tony Awards; The Producers, Young Frankenstein, All-American, Shinbone Alley

Jason Robert Brown (composer/lyricist/orchestrator/conductor) - 3 Tony Awards, 4 nominations; The Bridges of Madison County, Parade, Urban Cowboy, Honeymoon in Vegas, The Last 5 Years, Mr. Saturday Night

Betty Buckley (actor/goddess) - 1 Tony Award, 2 nominations; Cats, Triumph of Love, Sunset Boulevard, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Song and Dance, Carrie, Pippin, 1776

Danny Burstein (actor) - 1 Tony Award, 7 nominations; Moulin Rouge!, Follies, Golden Boy, South Pacific, The Drowsy Chaperone, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, My Fair Lady, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Titanic

5 Shows

Terrence Mann and Susan Egan

Beauty and the Beast - Palace Theatre, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre: Opened April 18, 1994; 5,462 performances; Book by Linda Woolverton, Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice; Original Cast included Susan Egan, Terrence Mann, Burke Moses, Gary Beach, Beth Fowler and Tom Bosley

Judy Holliday, Sydney Chaplin and Company

Bells Are Ringing - Shubert Theatre, Alvin Theatre: Opened November 29, 1956; 924 performances; Book and Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Music by Jule Styne; Original Cast included Judy Holliday, Sydney Chaplin

Con O'Neill and Mark Michael Hutchinson

Blood Brothers - The Music Box Theatre: Opened April 25, 1993; 840 performances; Book, Music and Lyrics by Willy Russell; Original Cast included Stephanie Lawrence, Con O'Neill, Mark Michael Hutchinson, Warwick Evans, Jan Graveson, Barbara Walsh

Matthew Broderick and Company

Brighton Beach Memoirs - Alvin/Neil Simon Theatre, 46th Street Theatre: Opened March 27, 1983; 1,299 performances; By Neil Simon; Original Cast included Matthew Broderick, Elizabeth Franz, Zeljko Ivanek

Judy Holliday and Paul Douglas

Born Yesterday - Lyceum Theatre, Henry Miller's Theatre: Opened February 4, 1946; 1,642 performances; By Garson Kanin; Original Cast included Judy Holliday, Paul Douglas, Gary Merrill

6 Songs

1994 Revival Cast - Billy Porter and Jessica Stone

"Beauty School Dropout" - Grease

Sung by Teen Angel (Alan Paul), Frenchy (Marya Small); Music and Lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey

Larry Kert

"Being Alive" - Company

Sung by Bobby (Dean Jones); Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Original Broadway Cast

"Big D" - The Most Happy Fella

Sung by Herman (Shorty Long), Cleo (Susan Johnson) and Ensemble; Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser

Original Broadway Cast

"Big Spender" - Sweet Charity

Sung by Nickie (Helen Gallagher), Helene (Thelma Oliver) and the Fan-Dango Girls; Music by Cy Coleman, Lyrics by Dorothy Fields

Phillipa Soo

"Burn" - Hamilton

Sung by Eliza Hamilton (Phillipa Soo); Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Faith Prince

1992 Revival Cast

"Bushel and a Peck, A" - Guys and Dolls

Sung by Miss Adelaide (Vivian Blaine) and the Hot Box Girls; 

Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser