At This Theatre: The John Golden Theatre

I love the theaters on 45th Street. I've seen some of my favorite shows on that block. The Golden Theatre is probably the one of those that I have been in the fewest times, but those times have yielded some of the most truly magnificent performances I've ever seen. Even though I have ranked the six shows I've seen there, on any given day any one of them could be my number one pick. They were all that good.

At This Theater:

The John Golden

In the times Mike and I have been there, we have been able to sit in a variety of locations. We hope that our experiences will help you the next time you are At This Theatre.

# of Shows We Saw There: 6

      

      

Shows We Saw There: Avenue Q, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, The Normal Heart, The Waverly Gallery, A Doll's House, Part 2, Three Tall Women

How They Rate:

6. A Doll's House, Part 2: An embarrassment of acting riches, the entire cast was a thrill to watch. Condola Rashad and Jane Houdyshell were amazing in their supporting roles and offer a study in varying intensity, with the former mostly quiet and measured, and the latter more intense and razor sharp in her delivery. The star of the show, Laurie Metcalf, was simply stunning to watch, giving one of my favorite performances in nearly 40 years of Broadway theater-going.

WHERE WE SAT: Center front mezzanine about 5 rows back on the aisle: excellent view, if not a little bit cramped.

5. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike: Here's a show Mike and I did not see together. He enjoyed it with Julie White. I enjoyed seeing one of my favorite actors, Sigourney Weaver, who showed me why she's such a highly regarded interpreter of Christopher Durang. David Hyde Pierce was a riot, with his monologue a true highlight, and Kristine Nielson was quirky fun, too. Even in smaller roles Billy Magnussen and Shalita Grant made lasting impressions.

WHERE WE SAT: Mike sat in the rear orchestra, with a great view of everything but the very top of the set. I sat up in the rear mezzanine, and had a terrific view - no one seemed far away at all.

4. Three Tall Women: I don't recall either of us moving an inch or even breathing throughout this mesmerizing play. Sure that set change was breathtaking, but that trio of performances was pure brilliance. Glenda Jackson stole the show in a lot of ways, but Laurie Metcalf was equally brilliant in different ways. And Alison Pill was no slouch, either - hers was a turn that snuck up on you! Absolutely one of my favorite plays.

WHERE WE SAT: Center front mezzanine about 5 rows back on the aisle: excellent view, if not a little bit cramped.

3. The Waverly Gallery: The two greatest performances I have ever witnessed happened at this theater. One of them, Elaine May as a woman sinking under the weight of her own dementia, was perhaps THE greatest. I've never so believed what I was seeing was actually real before or since then. Perhaps even better was the chance to see her co-stars rise to her challenge - particularly Joan Allen as her daughter and Lucas Hedges, one of the best the current generation has to offer, as her grandson. 

WHERE WE SAT: Side left front mezz, about 4 rows back on the aisle: excellent view.

2. The Normal Heart: This may be the one time I wish we had been a little closer to fully take in the intimate performances of this first-rate ensemble. Not a weak link in the bunch, they were a thrill to watch. However, it was the performance of Tony-winner Ellen Barkin that was a privilege to witness. The two finest acting performances I have ever seen were both in this theater. What a blessing.

WHERE WE SAT: Side left front mezz, about 4 rows back on the aisle: excellent view.

1. Avenue Q: Over the many times we saw it, we got to see many of the original cast (with Ann Harada a particular standout). This show was consistently a well cast show, with replacements (and understudies) being as good, if not better than their predecessors. Among the great performers we got to see were Anika Larsen, Mary Faber, Haneefah Wood and Rob McLure. Perhaps the best were Barrett Foa who was replaced mid-performance by Howie Michael Smith. Always charming as it is, here's hoping future revivals don't srcub it too clean.

WHERE WE SAT: We saw this show several times; center orchestra was probably my favorite, as it allowed us to see the smallest of details and facial expressions. But being upstairs was great, too, allowing a better view everything at once, as well as some of the bigger things like "giant" Kate Monster.

One That Got Away: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

I think about how lucky Mike and I are, so far, every day. And we both think about all of our friends and fellow theater fans and hope that each of you is coping as best you can and staying safe. 

Like many of you, we had several tickets for spring Broadway shows, all of which were cancelled due to COVID-19. And just like you, we are disappointed by this. Don't get me wrong, there are so many other bigger, more important things to be concerned about. Still, there's one that got away because of all of this - Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

This production was to have been my very first exposure to this landmark play. I'd never seen it, the movie version or even read it. I was excited to see Laurie Metcalf again, doing her usual brilliant work. And I was really looking forward seeing Rupert Everett again (I saw him in Blithe Spirit), and this time in a dramatic role. Then there was the chance to see one of my favorite young actors, Russell Tovey, as well as Olivier Award winner Patsy Ferran, making her Broadway debut.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? played just nine previews between March 3 and March 11, 2020 at the Booth Theatre.

Well, Mike and I finally did see the movie last week, and were blown away. Now that I know what I missed, I'm even more disappointed. Ah well, next time it comes around...and now I can look forward to seeing Ms. Metcalf in another play I've never seen live - Death of a Salesman.

#2309

The Friday 5: Jeff's 5 Favorite Things About the 2018 Tonys

Mike and I did very well with our Tony Awards pics this year - better with the "Should Win"s than the "Will Win"s, which makes us both very happy. And this year, my favorite show actually won Best Musical! That makes me happy, too! But those weren't my 5 favorite things about the 2018 Tonys...

THE FRIDAY 5:

Jeff's 5 Favorite Tony Awards Things

5. Laurie Metcalf winning for Three Tall Women

I don't think anyone was more surprised than Metcalf herself when her name was called.  If it couldn't be Angels' Denise Gough, I'm glad it was Laurie Metcalf. Hers was an intense, in the moment, and yet unadorned performance, and worthy of a second statue in as many years.

4. Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles as Hosts

In a world coming undone with craziness, intensity and dumb-assery, it was nice for a change to have moments of quiet adoration of the art form being celebrated. And smart, funny songs. And self-deprecating humor.  All of it was good for this viewer. (And the picture above... letting the costumes tell the joke. Good stuff!)

3. Glenda Jackson's Acceptance Speech

Classy. Smart. Pointed. Low key. Gracious. Like I said, classy.

2. Ari'el Stachel winning for The Band's Visit

I knew when I saw The Band's Visit the first time, that Ari'el Stachel's performance was special and Tony-worthy. The only real surprise, for me, was that the Tony voters got this one right. His tearful and poignant acceptance speech was the cherry on top of the sundae.

1. Once On This Island winning Best Revival of a Musical

I can't remember the last time I was so thrilled, shocked and happy over a show winning an award. It was the best revival by a mile, and it was both earned and deserved. Beautiful theater. Risk-taking theater. Genuinely creative and inspiring in its humanity. The world needs more of this.

JK's Best Theater Experiences of 2017

While I was away from theater blogging over the past couple of years, life took me in a slightly different direction.  Still, my love for live theater never left me - and 2017 was no exception.  Granted, the last 365 days only afforded me the privilege of seeing 9 Broadway and off-Broadway productions and 1 National Tour.* But, boy, did I get a lot of bang for my buck!  Here are my best theater experiences for 2017:

Broadway 2017: Year of the Woman - and the men weren't too bad, either...:

LuPone and Ebersole in War Paint

This year afforded me the rare opportunity to have a true Diva Weekend of shows: in 2 days, I got to see Glenn Close, Patti LuPone, Christine Ebersole and Bette Midler! Will the stars ever align like this again?  I doubt it. And even though their respective shows varied in quality, there was never a moment where these ladies weren't true Broadway royalty. What an honor!

My Broadway year also included spectacular turns by several other of my favorite ladies: Amelie's Phillipa Soo, Pacific Overtures' Ann Harada, Sunday in the Park with George's Annaleigh Ashford (the first Dot to make me cry!), Hello, Dolly's Kate Baldwin, The Great Comet's Denee Benton (even better than the first time I saw her in 2016), and the always awesome Karen Ziemba and Emily Skinner of The Prince of Broadway.

This isn't to say that men weren't well represented in 2017. Not by a long shot. Amelie's Adam Chanler-Berat continues to be one of my favorite young performers, and there was the double-dose of excellence that was Sunset Boulevard and The Prince of Broadway's Michael Xavier, Sunday in the Park with George's Jake Gyllenhaal (the best George by far), Hello, Dolly's Gavin Creel and Taylor Trensch (who I hope to see in Dear Evan Hansen), and The Great Comet's Lucas Steele (even better than the first time I saw him in 2016).

Best Performance of a New Broadway Song:

Chanler-Berat, Soo and the "Booth"

Adam Chanler-Berat, Phillipa Soo and the Company performing "When the Booth Goes Bright" from Amelie
For me, the whole show was the most underrated, under-appreciated show of the year. I don't know about you, but I needed a romantic fantasy. Isn't there something to be said for a show this year that starts with a song called "Times Are Hard for Dreamers" and ends with "Where Do We Go From Here?" And this song moved me like no other in a new musical in 2017. Daniel Messe and Nathan Tysen are two writers I hope we here from again soon

Best New Performance of a Broadway Classic: 

One Dazzling Sally Bowles

Bryonha Marie Parham singing "Cabaret"
This Act One closer of The Prince of Broadway was a mouth-agape-can't-find-the-words stunner.  She was simply amazing. I'll just leave it at that.

Xavier, post-costume change

Honorable Mention: Michael Xavier singing "Sunset Boulevard"
A powerful performance that made this song a standout that it never was before.  Of course, it all started with entrance applause for a wet, bathing suit clad Xavier, and included a gasp-inducing costume "change." Nah. That helped. But the performance was amazing. The Tony nominators made a mistake leaving him off the list.

Best Return: Glenn Close as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard

It's a Return... 23 years in the making

I enjoyed her in the original production, though I remember cringing a few times at her over-the-top take an an already over-the-top character. And though she still has not eclipsed my favorite Norma Desmond, Betty Buckley, the 2017 version she brought to the stage was powerful and heart-breaking. Close was absolutely right - the intervening years made for a deeper portrayal.

Best Legendary Performance: Bette Midler as Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly!

3 Broadway Stand-outs

I have to admit that I never once forgot that I was watching Bette Midler instead of Dolly Levi, and normally that would be a deal breaker for me. But Bette being Bette is in a league of its own - and it is a fair argument to say that the role is ideally suited to the actress. The energy in the room combined with the 200% she gave every single second was an experience I'll never forget. To channel another Broadway legend, being in the room where a legend happens is rare indeed.

Best Replacement: Ingrid Michaelson as Sonya in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812

Denee Benton and Ingrid Michaelson

While it may seem like stunt casting (and maybe it was), it was worth bringing this fantastic performer on board. Her chemistry with Benton was palpable, and her "Sonya Alone" was dynamite. Maybe you could say she was just doing the job she was hired to do, but you could never accuse Michaelson of phoning it in. Case in point: when she was "just" part of the ensemble - and relegated to the farthest point from the stage in the rear mezz, she danced and sang with her whole body and soul. I was in the front row of the front mezz, and she was what I was watching. I'm sure we can all think of a "star replacement" who didn't give 100%.

Best Cast of 2017:

Metcalf, Houdyshell, Rashad and Cooper
A Doll's House, Part 2

And the above lists don't even include the stunning tour de force of the entire company of A Doll's House, Part II! If there was ever a case for a full cast Tony Award, this was it. Tony winner Laurie Metcalf earned every accolade she got, as did the always wonderful Jane Houdyshell, and the understated elegance of Condola Rashad. (Chris Cooper more than held his own, too...)

Best Technical Element: The Chromolume in Sunday in the Park with George

Beowulf Boritt's Chromolume

The view from the cheap seats at the newly opened Hudson Theatre is among the best on Broadway as it is, but I sure was glad to have been sitting up there for this show.  I felt sorry for everyone below me.  They missed out on an amazing spectacle!

And the Top Honor of 2017 goes to...

Best Theater-going Experience of the Year: The First National Tour of Fun Home:

Over the years, I had the opportunity to see the birth of this landmark production at The Public, and its evolution into a profoundly moving, exhilarating (and profitable!) Tony-winning Broadway musical. In the process, I got to see each Medium Alison, Small Alison and Helen (Michael Cerveris and Beth Malone were in every performance I saw), and even attended the emotional, triumphant final performance at Circle-in-the-Square.  So, if I'm being totally honest, I went into the National Tour with a bit of trepidation - could I go back to enjoying a proscenium staging? Could I appreciate a different Alison and Bruce? Turns out, I worried for nothing.  It was spectacular. Sam Gold took the best of his Broadway staging and blended it seamlessly with his Public staging. Kate Shindle proved to be a terrific Alison, and Robert Petkoff offered a touching take on Bruce.  And there was a lovely, heartbreaking Helen in Susan Moniz's mesmerizing performance.  And remember this name: Abby Corrigan. This Medium Alison is going to be a big star.

* Amelie, Pacific Overtures, Sunset Boulevard, Hello, Dolly!, War Paint, Sunday in the Park with George, A Doll's House, Part 2, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, The Prince of Broadway, Fun Home

(Photos by J. Cervantes, J. Marcus, J. Pugiliese, B. Boritt, Getty Images)

Sad Trick, No Treat for Theatre Halloween

OK, it is probably hard to believe, but I hate, loathe and despise Halloween. What? You are asking yourselves incredulously...a theatre fan/gay guy who hates Halloween? No way! I hate the thought of dressing up to schlep for candy, begging, really. And the humiliation that your costume isn't good enough or that people can't tell what you are. Yes, the scars still hurt from when I was 7 or 8 years old. But as I grew older, I began to resent that the very same people who called me names and teased me about wearing a costume and makeup for shows I was in, for a free pass to do the EXACT same thing in the name of a stupid "holiday!"

But I digress... that above is not what I'm writing about today. This year, with Halloween on a Saturday, I decided to "treat" myself by catching a show in NYC. So I hopped on the train, ticket to Rock of Ages in hand. I'll tell you about THAT experience tomorrow. Suffice it to say that I didn't manage to completely escape the costumed idiots of my childhood this year.

On my way up 7th Avenue from Penn Station, I reviewed the discounts for show tickets I had in hand... Brighton Beach Memoirs, Finian's Rainbow, and at the last minute, a flier for Fela! Well, I just adore one Miss Laurie Metcalf almost as much as I adore the plays of on Mr. Neil Simon, and lo and behold, the first box office I came to was the Nederlander Theatre where The Neil Simon Plays is playing. Man, that theatre looks nice without the RENT grunge. So I walk right up to the man in the window, thrust my discount paper through the little hole and say, "give me the best you got for November 11th's matinee!" Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather when he told me that the show was closing the next day. "Um, can I use it for Broadway Bound?" I stammered, shocked and sad and feeling stupid all at once. "Sorry, son, they are closing the whole thing. But, we do have some nice seats for today, if you'd like." I almost took him up on his offer, but thought, "No, I can't waste the ticket to Rock of Ages."

So I walked to the next theatre in my pile of discounts... Finian's Rainbow at the St. James on 44th Street. There was no one there, either, and my first thought was, "My God, not another show closing this fast after good reviews!" Brighton's reviews were decent - at least the ones I read, as were the ones for Rainbow. The discount I had was so good, that even though Finian's Rainbow wasn't on the top of my must-see list, I figured I may as well. So I walked up to the window, and shakily put my discount sheet through the window. When would you like to see the show, sir?" Relieved, I got my ticket for a few weeks from now.

When I got home, I instantly went online to see what was being said about the closing of The Neil Simon Plays. The producer's statement said it all. Nice folks, indeed. Miss Metcalf will rebound, I'm sure, but I do feel for Noah Robbins, who played Eugene and Santino Fontana who played Stanley, both of whom got glowing notices. How hard it must be to read all that praise and still lose your job. Of course, Josh Grisetti's performance as the older Eugene never made it to a public viewing of his work.

As it turned out, I should have gone to see Brighton Beach Memoirs. God, I hate Halloween.

Jeff

(Top picture: Noah Robbins and Laurie Metcalf in Brighton Beach Memoirs; Bottom picture: Josh Grisetti, Neil Simon and Noah Robbins. Photos by Joan Marcus.)

Looking Forward to Fall

Every theatre website seems to be posting "fall preview columns." So I thought I'd share what I am looking forward to this fall, show-wise... (assumes that "fall" runs September - November)


PLAYS

• The Neil Simon Plays aka the revivals of Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound. Why? Several reasons: Laurie Metcalf, a terrific actress, these are two of Simon's best works, I like both of the guys playing Eugene Morris Jerome, and I saw the original cast of Broadway Bound, and I'm looking forward to seeing how this company stacks up - Linda Lavin was awesome in the original.


• After Miss Julie. Why? Mainly for the cast, including the adorable and supremely talented Jonny Lee Miller.


• A Steady Rain. Why? Do you really have to ask? I have two words for you: Hugh Jackman. I'd watch him read the telephone book.

MUSICALS

• Bye Bye Birdie. Why? I love the score, the quaint, but very tight book, and I LOVE the cast - John Stamos (a shockingly amazing performance in Cabaret), Gina Gershon (a shockingly amazing performance in Cabaret, and an equally terrific comic turn in Boeing Boeing), the sweet Allie Trimm (say what you want about 13: The Musical, but she rocked that show!), and for the pure irony of it, watching Matt Doyle sing part of "How Lovely to Be a Woman." Plus I'm dying to see the inside of the "new" Henry Miller Theatre.


• Memphis. Why? Because I think it is important to support completely original works early in their run and then later again if they are decent. Plus, I think Chad Kimball is an interesting actor, and I'd like to see him not only carry a show, but be in a huge, unexpected hit.


• Ragtime. Why? I need to see if the show can be done in such a way that highlights the characters and story and isn't entirely about the staging. When I saw the original, I left the theatre thinking the best thing about it was something I already had - the Original Cast Recording. The original was soooo stagey that it became dull - like The Carousel of Progress in Disney World, only not nearly as clever.

I won't be negative, because I don't wish any new production anything but success, but you can tell what I am not interested in simply by looking at what isn't on my list.




ONE MORE - A HOLDOVER

• Rock of Ages. Why? Because had I been doing this last season, it would not have made my list at all. BUT I can't stop playing the cast recording, most of the people I am seriously interested in seeing in it are still foing to be there, and I LOVE me some Kerry Butler, who joins the company for 6 months starting shortly.

What are you looking forward to the most this fall? Add a comment!

Jeff