2023 in Review: Our Favorite Productions

Before we sign off for 2023, Mike and I thought we'd weigh in on our favorite productions that we saw over the past twelve months. Overall, the shows we loved far outweighed those we didn't. That said, there were those we felt were the cream of the cream of the crop. Here they are:

2023 in Review:

Our Favorite Productions

(6 Categories)

Favorite New Musical

What we said: & Juliet is proudly, unabashedly a jukebox musical. Heck, there's an actual jukebox center stage and spotlighted at the start and the finish of the show! And just when I was ready to write off such fare, along comes this perfect gem of a show. The entire enterprise has elevated the genre and is now the gold standard of catalog musicals. Everyone involved should be proud. Grade: A+

Favorite New Play

Mike:

What we said: So rarely does a play receive such rave reviews as Leopoldstadt. Even more rarely does a production so fully deserve such accolades.This one is as advertised. It is a masterpiece. Grade: A+

Jeff:

What we said: When people ask me why I love theater as passionately as I do, I answer by talking about shows like Life of Pi. Nothing compares to seeing such artistry and sharing a deeply human experience happening right in front of you. Grade: A+

Favorite Revival

Jeff:

What we said: There simply aren't enough adjectives or words that even do justice to the magnitude of this production. All I can think of is "thank you." Grade: A+

Mike:

What we said: This is not a Sweeney for the faint of heart. And it just builds from there. Part psychological thriller, part horror show, part musical comedy, this production embraces all of it. It is traditional yet acutely modern. The result is one of the top theater experiences I've ever had. Grade: A+

Favorite Off-Broadway Production

What we said: The Encores! presentation of The Light in the Piazza is the perfect example of the joy and pain of the ethereal nature of the art form we love so much. It's that "capturing lightning in a bottle" thrill of witnessing a once in a lifetime moment, savoring the memory of it, and lamenting that it'll never happen again. Grade: A+

Favorite Regional Production

What we said: Pacific Overtures is a stunning classic, rarely performed, and perhaps underappreciated. True, it isn't for the faint of heart, and you need to bring your "A" game to fully understand it as an audience member. But, when there's as glorious a production as Signature Theatre's current revival, it is most definitely worth the extra effort. Grade: A+

Most Disappointing Production

What we said: They say in the show that well-behaved princesses rarely make history. Neither do rotten musicals. If pop hits and girl power re-write is what you need, head over to the Sondheim and grab tickets for & Juliet. Grade: F

2023 in Review: The Final Tally

Over the course of our yearly review, we honored 19 of the 21 productions we saw in 2023. 90 acknowledgements were made and here's how they broke down by show:

Shucked 12

& Juliet 10

Parade 10

Sweeney Todd 9

Here Lies Love 8

The Light in the Piazza 8

Bad Cinderella 5

Life of Pi 5

Bob Fosse's Dancin' 4

Pacific Overtures (Signature Theatre) 4

Back to the Future 3

Leopoldstadt 2

New York New York 2

Sunset Boulevard (Kennedy Center) 2

The Gardens of Anuncia 2

A Beautiful Noise 1

Camelot 1

Once Upon a One More Time 1

The Play That Goes Wrong (Kennedy Center) 1

Thank you all for joining us this year. We wish you all the very best for a happy, healthy and theatrical new year!

2022 - 2023 Logos: Leopoldstadt and Life of Pi

These days, generating interest in plays, even those that make it to Broadway, is a challenge, to say the least. Even more challenging is promoting a play that has no stars over the title. And that is not a guarantee, either. 

Today, we take a closer look at the show art for two new plays on the Great Bright Way: Leopoldstadt and Life of Pi. Both are new works, both are London imports, and both in their own way are epic, event plays. The former represents a generational reckoning and religious awakening by one of the world's greatest playwrights. The latter is a spectacularly theatrical treatment of a popular novel and acclaimed film. Those pedigrees may get regular theatergoers in the seats, but to sustain a run, both need a marketing plan that sells their acclaim and content. That plan begins with the logo.

Leopoldstadt:

Before it even arrived at the Longacre Theatre last fall, Tom Stoppard's semi-autobiographical play was the buzziest play of the season. Heaps of awards, and tales of SRO crowds on the West End certainly created an urgency to purchase tickets. Not long after tickets went on sale, the limited engagement was extended by several months (currently through July 2) and ticket prices soared. Ticket demand is steady, but nowhere near its initial hype. So now marketing must now sustain it until awards season (it's a shoo-in for tons of nominations) gets things cooking again. 

As far as the key art goes, it is definitely eye-catching and tells a lot about the piece, even if one knows nothing about it. The title icon is lovely, striking black lettering against a homey, sepia toned stained glass styled background. The title font suggests an Old World European feel, while the plain, all-caps font of the names is positioned to be noticed, but not more so than the title. It also feels more modern than the title, subliminally suggesting a more current bent in contrast.

The photographic element of the whole poster, a black and white photo of a boy from another time points up the historic element of the play. He's playing Cat's Cradle, a key symbol in the performance, and a thoughtful way to represent the interweaving of the generations - a never-ending loop of twists and turns. 

The logo is attractive, makes you think and is just mysterious enough that it might make tourists consider buying a ticket.

Grade: A

Life of  Pi:

Another award-winning play from London, Life of Pi, is probably the better known property of the two, but it may still be a hard sell. True the title is known to artier film aficionados and contemporary readers. But is it mainstream enough for the general public, and exciting enough without being a musical? Will fans of the movie wonder if the stage version can capture the breathtaking special effects of the film? Well, I'm thinking there was a reason why later in the London run, the advertising included exciting production photos...

Is the Broadway production team thinking the title alone will get people in the seats? Are they counting on word-of-mouth from London? Or are they not wanting to give away any of the visual surprises of this epic play? A little of all three would be my guess.

What they came up with is certainly bright enough to make the eye take a closer look at it. Bright ocean blue with bright yellow lettering is tried and true; a recent tenant of that same theater ran for years with the same color scheme. The font is bold and simple, drawing the eye just long enough to read the title and then look more closely at the image above.

Glittering stars, a bright full moon, all shimmering on the water together creates a feeling of fantasy and a vastness. A single image on that vast seascape - a lifeboat with a single boy and a sleeping tiger - also suggests the fantastic, but also a feeling of loneliness, and maybe even some danger. It certainly makes you stop and think. If you get lost in the fantasy, you might buy a ticket just to see what it's all about. And you might be interested if you've read the book or have seen the movie. Put me in the fantasy camp - I know almost nothing about the work - but at the very least, I'm excited to see just how it will be presented. Of course, I'm not the typical theatergoer. I see lots of things and am willing to try something unknown.

Still, I can't help but wonder if some of the production photos might not do more to capture a bigger audience.

Grade: A-

REVIEW: Leopoldstadt

Review of the matinee performance on Sunday, January 15, 2023 at the Longacre Theatre in New York City. Featuring David Krumholtz, Brandon Uranowitz, Betsy Aidem, Caissie Levy, Aaron Neil , Corey Brill, Arty Froushan, Gina Ferrall, Faye Castelow, Jenna Augen and Seth Numrich. A new play by Tom Stoppard. Scenic design by Richard Hudson. Costume design by Brigitte Reiffenstuel. Lighting design by Neil Austin. Projection design by Isaac Madge. Direction by Patrick Marber. 2 hours 10 minutes with no intermission.

Grade: A+

One cannot attend a play by Tom Stoppard and not actively engage with his work. That is most certainly the case with his newest work, Leopoldstadt, a masterpiece by any definition. To pay close attention to this family drama is to work through a maze of dichotomies, conflicts, and twists and turns as though trying to solve a cat's cradle - an apt and frequent symbol used throughout.

Simultaneously epic and intimate, the show follows a Jewish family through several generations for over five decades from the turn of the 20th century to the mid-50's. It covers a wide variety of topics - Zionism, antisemitism, economics, politics. It examines relationships - marital, parental, sibling - and, at its heart, how those topics and relationships interact, working on a loop, aligning and misaligning like the knots on a cat's cradle. All of this is significant when one considers even a few details - a belief that all of the tumults of the period are either preordained or easily ignored. Each escalation rationalized, dismissed. Such is the history of this family and the Holocaust. As reasonings and excuses are made as the pogroms increase, and the fates of the people are revealed, one becomes acutely aware that all of this sounds frighteningly present. Let this be a warning to all of us.

The entirety of the production takes place on a single set (designed by Richard Hudson, projections by Isaac Madge), craftily morphing through time from a warm, sumptuous gathering place to a cold, nearly empty void (lighting designed by Neil Austin), left only with the echos and shadows of both a family and a world history. Director Patrick Marber brilliantly creates vivid tableaux that allow key moments to be frozen as photos in the audience's mind like those in the family album passed down from generation to generation in the play. Marber also creates a pace that makes the time fly, by turns a fast swirl, a slow down to capture details, and a final, revelatory ending. Like the play itself, the directorial and design elements are a brilliant whole - epic and intimate.

Based on a late-in-life revelation about Stoppard's own heritage, one has to assume there is a weight on the actors to bring authenticity and respect to the characters, and I'm thrilled to report that the 38-member cast - from small child to seasoned performer - is uniformly superb. While this is an ensemble piece, there are several noteworthy performances. As the matriarch, Betsy Aidem is a force to be reckoned with, carefully navigating the trick maze of beliefs she must convey to the generations at her holiday party. Not surprisingly, Caissie Levy turns in yet another terrific performance exuding a strong sense of family, no small accomplishment given her smaller stage time. Another reliable actor delivered yet again - Seth Numrich - in two roles, but most notably as a British news reporter. 

Caissie Levy and Betsy Aidem

The three cast members brought over from the West End cast were superb: Jenna Augen (tasked with playing two generations - both mother and daughter), Aaron Neil (a conflicted, worried father), and particularly, Faye Castelow (a woman with a zest for life, who always wants more than the mundane, and who unknowingly becomes the subject of what becomes one of a few remaining family heirlooms).

Finally, in the two central male roles: David Krumholtz as Hermann, a smarter than he seems blowhard, played with a finesse and intensity that demands your attention; and Brandon Uranowitz as brilliant, eccentric mathematician Ludwig at the start, and later, as Holocaust survivor, Nathan, brings an anchoring gravitas to both roles. In all cases, it was an honor to witness these performances. 

Brandon Uranowitz, Caissie Levy, Faye Castelow, David Krumholtz

So rarely does a play receive such rave reviews as Leopoldstadt. Even more rarely does a production so fully deserve such accolades.This one is as advertised. It is a masterpiece.

📸: J. Marcus