BEST OF THE DECADE: The Broadway Top 40 Countdown #40 -31

Only time will tell if the second decade of the 21st Century will have generated what will be known as a "classic Broadway musical." No one knows for sure. But with the wonderful mix of established writers and fresh new voices that the past ten seasons has seen, it seems likely. 

As we have been looking back and creating our "Best of" lists, we took note of all of the new songs created for shows (there were a lot of them). And we decided to go old school and create a Casey Kasem-like Top 40 Countdown, which we will begin today!

THE BEST OF THE DECADE:

The Broadway Top 40 Countdown

# 40 - 31

This first group includes songs from 3 Best Musicals, several established composers and lyricists, some folks new to the game, mega-hits and mega-flops. Enjoy!

40. "Welcome to the Renaissance" - Something Rotten

        MUSIC and LYRICS by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick

            SUNG by Michael James Scott and Company

Seems like the perfect song to kick off a countdown. Love how this one is smart, clever and sets the tone perfectly. And it's catchy, too!

39. "Unruly Heart" - The Prom

        MUSIC by Matthew Sklar     LYRICS by Chad Beguelin

            SUNG by Caitlin Kinnunen and the Ensemble

This one makes me feel so many emotions. A beautiful song with an important and beautiful sentiment.

38. "When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground" - Finding Neverland

        MUSIC and LYRICS by Gary Barloe and Eliot Kennedy

            SUNG by Matthew Morrison and Aidan Gemme

See number 39. One of four or five places during that show that made me cry.

37. "Alexander Hamilton" - Hamilton

        MUSIC and LYRICS by Lin-Manuel Miranda

            SUNG by The Company

Talk about a great opening number! I especially love how it builds and builds to that amazing tag and poster pose!

36. "I Believe" - The Book of Mormon

        MUSIC and LYRICS by Robert Lopez, Matt Stone and Trey Parker

            SUNG by Andrew Rannells

After the zany bombast and spectacle of "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream," it was wise for the plot to slow way down, add a good bit of actual substance. And what a great way to highlight Andrew Rannells' vocal gifts, too. Nice that while it is an epiphany, it still has a great sense of humor.

35. "On the Verge" - Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

        MUSIC and LYRICS by David Yazbek

            SUNG by Patti LuPone, Sherie Renee Scott, Laura Benanti, Nikka Graff Lanzarone and the Women

Easily one of the catchiest numbers of the entire decade. The colorful bungee swings. The ululating. The lollipop.

34. "Show Some Respect" - The Last Ship

        MUSIC and LYRICS by Sting

            SUNG by Sally Ann Triplett, Michael Esper, Jimmy Nail, Rachel Tucker and Company

Moving, catchy and a call to arms anthem all at once - this song is just one of many highlights of a vastly underrated score and show.

33. "How 'Bout a Dance?" - Bonnie and Clyde

        MUSIC by Frank Wildhorn  LYRICS by Don Black

            SUNG by Laura Osnes

It's no secret that I loved this show and its beautiful score. The absolute highlight, though, is this song, so sensual, so evocative of a different time, so plaintive. One of Laura Osnes' best performances.

32. "It All Fades Away" - The Bridges of Madison County

        MUSIC and LYRICS by Jason Robert Brown

            SUNG by Steven Pasquale

Another great score from another great show, flop or not. Pasquale is just glorious here.

31. "Words Fail" - Dear Evan Hansen

        MUSIC and LYRICS by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

            SUNG by Ben Platt

I've made no secret that I have big problems with this show, one being its rather generic score. It mostly all sounds the same to me. But it isn't without highlights, and this song is one of them. Andrew Barth Feldman (above) acted it better.

LOOK FOR #30-21 NEXT WEEK!

#2335

Mr. and Ms. Broadway 2018

All year long, we celebrate the people of Broadway who influence, create and represent the very best of the art form. Mr. and Mrs. Broadway 2018 are the very definition of the best. This time we chose two people whose reach is far beyond the 41 theatres on Broadway. We are all better for their having touched our lives.

MR. BROADWAY 2018

DAVID YAZBEK

David Yazbek won a much-deserved (and overdue) Tony Award this year for The Band's Visit. But the real accomplishment, to us, was that his music brought us a world that proves that despite our differences, we can learn from and embrace different cultures when we show humanity toward one another. A powerful, desperately need statement in this era of hatred and chaos. Thank you.

MS. BROADWAY 2018

MARIN MAZZIE

People much more eloquent than I am have said it better, but the loss this year of Marin Mazzie really hit me hard. But there is so much comfort to be found in knowing that she touched so many lives onstage and off. Her strength is inspirational. Gone but not forgotten. Our thoughts are with her husband Jason and her family always.

#1970

A David Yazbek Revue...

Many of Broadway's biggest musical talents have had revues done of their works - From Maltby and Shire (Closer Than Ever), Rodgers and Hammerstein (A Grand Night For Singing), Kander and Ebb (And the World Goes 'Round) and Andrew Lloyd Webber (The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber) to the Grand Poo bah of catalogue revues, Stephen Sondheim (Putting It Together, Sondheim on Sondheim, etc.).

Well, David Yazbek may almost be ready for his. After all, he's four for four in Tony nominations, and of course one of those just turned him from Tony-nominee to Tony-winner. Over the years, I've made no bones about professing my love for this man's work.  I was hooked about 10 notes into the unoverture overture of The Full Monty.  I can honestly say that I find all four of his complete scores to be enjoyable - his tunes are ear candy, his lyrics are witty and evocative. And all four have elevated their cinematic source material in wonderfully theatrical ways, too.

So, if I were to create a musical revue of his works (so far) here's what I'd include... a mix of his big, funny numbers, his intimate character ballads and a few numbers to choreograph...

Something Different: The David Yazbek Musical

Prelude: "Something Different (Reprise)" - The Band's Visit

ACT ONE:

• Overture from The Full Monty
• "Give Them What They Want" - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
• "Big-Ass Rock" - The Full Monty
• "Tangled" - Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown
• "A Woman's World" - The Full Monty
• "Time Stood Still" - Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown
• "Omar Sharif" - The Band's Visit
• "Invisible" - Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown
• "Here I Am" - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
• "What Is a Woman To Do?" - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
• "On the Verge" - Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown

ACT TWO:

• "Waiting" - The Band's Visit
• "Welcome to Nowhere" - The Band's Visit
• "Model Behaviour" - Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown
• "Scrap" - The Full Monty
• "Dirty Rotten Number" - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
• "Great Big Stuff" - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
• "Breeze Off the River" - The Full Monty
• "Papi Hears the Ocean" - The Band's Visit
• "Michael Jordan's Ball" - The Full Monty
• "Answer Me" - The Band's Visit

What would you include that I missed?  Or what might you cut that I included? Who would you cast? Let me know: jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com

REVIEW: The Band's Visit

Review of the Saturday, February 24, 2018 matinee performance at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in New York City.  Starring Katrina Lenk, Tony Shalhoub, John Cariani,  Ari'el Stachel, George Abud, Adam Kantor, Ahmad Maksoud and Andrew Polk.  Book by Itamar Moses. Music and lyrics by David Yazbek. Choreography by Patrick McCollum. Direction by David Cromer. 90 minutes. The Band's Visit is performed without an intermission.

Grade: A+

As I tried to wrap my mind around the sheer brilliance I had just witnessed in The Band's Visit, a lyric from the Kander and Ebb musical Zorba came to mind: "Life is what you do while you're waiting to die. This is how the time goes by!"

That pretty much sums up the action (and lack of it) in this remarkable study of culture clash and culture bonding in the middle of nowhere. In what could have been an explosive, violent meeting, ordinary people are tested when strangers come to town, and choose communication, charity and caring over mistrust, anger and hate.  It is as much about what is not said in long periods of silence as what is said in Itamar Moses' fat-free book.  And then there is the music - the gorgeous, evocative music and poetic lyrics by David Yazbek.

Katrina Lenk, Tony Shalhoub (center) and Company

I've long been a fan of this four-time Tony nominee's work, but this score is on a whole new level. Each song takes you to a new emotional place, some funny, some wistful, still others full of hope, but all infused with of-the-moment urgency that simultaneously keeps you grounded and able to surrender to a place that will be foreign to most observers.  Highlights of this thoroughly brilliant score include the witty "Welcome to Nowhere," the epic grandeur of "Omar Sharif," the awkwardness of youth in "Papi Hears the Ocean," the longing of "Something Different," and the haunting, profoundly moving coming together of everyone in "Answer Me."

Katrina Lenk and Tony Shalhoub

This Visit is helped greatly by a uniformly superb ensemble cast, led by the sublime Katrina Lenk, who is in the role that will make her a full-fledged star if there is any justice in this world.  Hers is a star turn that will likely be talked about years from now - think Donna Murphy in Passion, Patti LuPone in Evita.  Lenk moves about the space with the lithe aloofness of a cat; you can't take take your eyes off of her.  Then there's the quiet grace of Tony Shalhoub, whose measured widower almost lets his guard down, and still comes away from the experience with unexpected personal growth. The chemistry between the two is palpable.

Adam Kantor - Telephone Guy

The supporting players are just as terrific.  It was nice to see John Cariani bring his trademark quirkiness to a new level of intelligent thoughtfulness as the "between jobs" Itzik, and Kristen Sieh provided the perfect counterpoint to his antics as his tired, fed up wife Iris.  Andrew Polk, as the warm, widowed patriarch Avrum, adds to each scene this family is part of.  Then there is the sly, sensual Ari'el Stachel, who, as Haled, oozes charm, and wields it like sexy ninja - striking when the time is right for his own needs, but also using his more genuine romantic nature to help an awkward young man named Papi (wonderful understudy Ahmad Maksoud) take his first steps toward a relationship.  Finally, there is the island of a man, known only as Telephone Guy and played with enigmatic flare by Adam Kantor, who spends his days staring at a phone waiting for it to ring. It is this lonely creature that brings all of the town folk together musically as they finally, as one, show us what they (and all of us) crave - to be heard and responded to.

The Band

I would be remiss not to mention the titular "band," both on stage and off, who not only play the score, but punctuate each scene with intricate and virtuoso Middle Eastern musical riffs: Ossama Farouk, Sam Sadigursky, Harvey Valdes, Garro Yellin (onstage) and Andrea Grody, Jeff Theiss, Alexandra Eckhardt and Philip Mayer (offstage). Bravo, all.

This quiet gem creeps up on you.  It feels like nothing is happening and like everything life has to offer is happening all at once.  Many times, it is the wordless scenes where everyone is searching for ways to connect.  Sometimes it is the small details - the purpose-filled cutting of a watermelon for sharing, the way a father picks up his crying baby in the absence of its mother, the way a lost band lines up to leave a newly familiar, but welcoming, town.  Sometimes it is the grand gestures - sharing a family dinner with a stranger and forcing him to play his own music, a stranger showing a young man how to overcome painful shyness to put the moves on a pretty girl, a dinner out punctuated by a tense confrontation. Would that there was more of this kind of story happening in the real world. Hate is the easy way out; communication and understanding should be just as easy. Big or small, there isn't a bad or wasted moment in the entire 90 minutes.  Brilliant.

(Photos by J. Kyler, M. Murphy)

THE FRIDAY 5: 2017-18 Theatrical Elements

This week, I thought I'd talk about the five (+ one honorable mention!) theatrical elements I'm most looking forward to this winter/spring of play-going.  And just like with the acting choices, it was very difficult to narrow down my list to just five!

THE FRIDAY 5:

THE TOP THEATRICAL ELEMENTS

JEFF IS LOOKING FORWARDTO

5. SVEN IN FROZEN

I have to admit that I still love Frozen, and I'm really excited to see how it expands this spring at the St. James. My favorite character in the film is the sweet, goofy and adorable reindeer, Sven, and I'm very excited to see how Andrew Pirozzi brings this lovable creature to life! 

4. THE IMMERSIVE STAGING OF

SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET

Sweeney Todd is a show I'm very familiar with - I've directed it, and I've seen several varied productions. Traditional, "concept." small cast... but I am really looking forward to seeing it truly up close and in the action! I can't wait to be terrified, laugh and appreciate one of the greatest musicals of all time in a whole new way.

3. MICHAEL ARDEN'S DIRECTION OF

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND

I have enjoyed Michael Arden as a  performer over the years, but his truly inspiring staging of Spring Awakening a couple of years ago brought my admiration of him to a whole new level. Now, I can't wait to see what magic he brings to the charming Once on This Island. And anyone who can make great use of the difficult Circle in the Square space, is aces in my book.

2. JUSTIN PECK'S CHOREOGRAPHY

OF CAROUSEL

Carousel contain's one of my all-time favorite pieces of music in any genre, ever: the prologue, aka The Carousel Waltz.  Justin Peck, one heck of a dancer and choreographer, should be just the artist to bring this piece (and the ballet section in act two, as well) to life with a modern, urgent vibrancy.  

1. DAVID YAZBEK'S SCORE FOR

THE BAND'S VISIT

The Band's Visit score is already one of my favorites - and I haven't even seen it yet!  But what I have heard thrills me.  I'm not really surprised, though.  David Yazbek has yet to write a score I haven't loved, from The Full Monty to Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.  I find his sense of humor and depth of humanity to be unparalleled among his current peers.  Looking forward to my visit very soon!

HONORABLE MENTION:

THE SETS AND COSTUMES OF MY FAIR LADY

My Fair Lady is a show where high-concept and/or minimalist staging would not serve the piece well.  And on the cavernous stage at the Beaumont calls for big and lavish production values.  I didn't love the look of The King and I, so I'm hoping we get something South Pacific in scale.  That would be loverly.