Star-To-Be: Benjamin Pajak

⭐⭐Star - To - Be⭐⭐

Benjamin Pajak

At the ripe old age of 15, one might say that Benjamin Pajak is already a star, not a "to be." But we are certain that he is on his way to a decades long, successful career (if he so chooses). This guy has shown that he can grow as an actor as he himself has grow. He did the sweet little boy - without being sickly sweet - in The Music Man. Then he did the slightly older almost tween/waif thing in an acclaimed turn in the title role of Oliver! at Encores!

Along the way, he's held his own against some pretty heavy-hitters on the stage: Hugh Jackman, Sutton Foster and Raul Esparza, to name but a few. And he has a prestigious Theatre World Award to start his collection. Not bad. Then there's a growing film career, where he's played against Tom Hiddleston in The Life of Chuck, and has a feature, Tiny Fugitives and a remake of The Exorcist coming up.

For the immediate future, Broadway fans can enjoy his funny and intense performance as the comic book-loving younger brother/vampire slayer in The Lost Boys. His turn includes a sweet realization of his sexuality in the big number, "Superhero." This next step in his stage career has garnered him both Outer Critics Circle Award and Dorian Award nominations.

This star-to-be is definitely one to keep your eye on! Keep up the good work, Benjamin!

  

We said: "Among the new generation [is] the absolutely adorable, but so real and so grounded Benjamin Pajak as Winthrop Paroo. To all of their credit not a single child in this production indulges in even the slightest hint of cloying behavior."

  

  

  

We said: "As Sam, the younger brother, Benjamin Pajak continues his streak of endearing characters and remarkable natural talent. His Sam is the people pleaser of the family, fiercely protective and enthralled by the super heroes of his beloved comic book collection. The evolution of his character includes him slowly realizing that he is queer, manifested as a super hero secret identity, naturally. His big number is "Superpower," complete with a rainbow of caped crusaders fighting an army of Draculas and a pair of Elviras (it doesn't get more 80s than that!). It is very funny and ultimately touching." 

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! 

REVIEW: The Music Man

Review of the Saturday, January 22, 2022 matinee performance at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City. Starring Hugh Jackman, Sutton Foster, Shuler Hensley, Jefferson Mays, Jane Houdyshell, Marie Mullen, Remy Auberjonois, Gino Cosculluela and Benjamin Pajak. Book, music and lyrics by Meredith Willson. Story by Meredith Willson and Franklin Lacey. Set and costume design by Santo Loquasto. Lighting design by Brian MacDevitt. Sound design by Scott Lehrer. Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick. Choreography by Warren Carlyle. Direction by Jerry Zaks. 2 hours, 30 minutes including intermission. Grade: A

When you walk into the Winter Garden and sit down these days, you are greeted with the enormous wood slat wall painted barn red and festooned with early 20th Century small town advertisements. Its size impresses, its bright color fairly begs you to buy into this slice of Americana. Soon enough, the walls part, and a technicolor world unfolds with scene after scene of American achievement (for better or for worse) bombarding the senses - a train, Main Street, a community hall, and quaint, dollhouse-like homes, complete with framed cross-stitch sayings on the wall. Yes, Santo Loquasto's sets are a feel-good feast for the eyes, and yet they don't overwhelm, are often simple, but always have an eye for the old-fashioned feel one associates with hand sewn quilts. In fact, the huge drops even look like they are made of a patchwork of another quintessentially American thing, steel. Being set on the 4th of July, pretty much everything is draped in red, white and blue bunting. Loquasto's costumes are exactly what one would expect for a traditional revival of Meredith Willson's The Music Man. But that's fine, really. A traditional staging of a traditional musical may be just what we need as we try to return to normalcy.

Jerry Zaks has directed a taut, exuberant feast of laughs, and a warm hug of romantic sweetness. He, wisely, I think, lets The Music Man be The Music Man. Actually, with one exception, the entire creative team pretty much stays out of the way. That exception, in the spectrum of things, isn't a deal breaker, but it comes in a rather odd re-do of the infamous "Shipoopi" number. 

Already a dubious inclusion in any production of this classic, and here it has been practically rewritten/reorchestrated, it brings the entire show to a grinding halt - no small feat considering it opens act two. Warren Carlyle has choreographed the number to within an inch of its life. It feels like it takes an eternity to get through, though it does pick up considerably when Marian finally loosens her corset and joins Harold in a real bonding moment. Don't get me wrong, the uber talented multi-generational ensemble is amazing here, as they are throughout - I'd go so far as to say that, to a person, they are the most exciting ensemble Broadway has seen in years. "Shipoopi" is really an outlier, as the other big numbers are bold, brassy, character-driven thrill rides, particularly with the charming sophistication of "Marian the Librarian" and the showstopping "Seventy-six Trombones."

The talent runs deep in this company, where those making their Broadway debut represent the bright future of musical theater, and the seasoned, award-winning veterans prove that they are still bright, shining stars. Among the new generation are two young men who are exciting performers, destined to be household names: Gino Cosculluela as the misunderstood rebel Tommy Djilas - what a dancer! what a presence!, and the absolutely adorable, but so real and so grounded Benjamin Pajak as Winthrop Paroo. To all of their credit - and Zaks' firm hand, I'm sure - not a single child in this production indulges in even the slightest hint of cloying behavior.

Meanwhile, two of my all-time favorite "groups" are given ample opportunity to set a new standard of delight, which they do. I'm speaking, of course, of the "pick-a-little" ladies and River City Quartet, and every time they sing, it is a burst of joy. The ladies are led by the force of nature that is Jane Houdyshell (she got well-deserved entrance applause the day we saw it). She makes a meal out of every line she utters, and wrings every possible nuance out of Eulalie's signature "Balzac." Another absolute treasure is Marie Mullen whose Mrs. Paroo is a tower of strength with a generous pinch of sass, all wrapped up in a warm hug. She was wonderful. Then there is the always terrific and hilarious Jefferson Mays who's Mayor Shinn is a riot of blustering outrage and incompetence, bulging veins and red face on full display. Finally, it was a pleasure to watch Shuler Hensley have such a ball playing Harold Hill's confidante and co-conspirator. He was having fun making us have fun.

It goes without saying that any really successful production of this show rests in the hands of the music man and his adversary-turned-champion. I think this revival has hit the veritable jackpot. What I most appreciate is that neither Sutton Foster nor Hugh Jackman try to replicate what we are used to seeing. Separately, they are a pair of whirlwind tours-de-force on a well-earned (if inevitable) collision course. 

With his billion watt smile and charming sex appeal, Jackman wins over everyone in the building. His song and dance man talents are off the charts, which makes all of his conniving easier to swallow, yet more dangerous perhaps than it is usually played. Normally, a Music Man audience gets to sit in smug delight thinking they'd never be taken by such a trickster, but this time around, the audience is just as taken in as the citizens of River City. The reality of Americans being taken by an unqualified smooth talker full of excuses, diversions, and crowd-pleasing explanations that don't hold up, is what's going on here. Sound familiar?

Then there's Foster, who is an inspired choice. Her Marian is not the fussy, nose-in-the-air ingenue with the high register who caves. No, this Marian Paroo is every bit the match for this Harold Hill. Her machinations in trying to expose him as the fraud he is feel much more subversive - witty and smart, not vengeful. Foster also brings considerable depth to the role, at times feisty and aggressive, always protective, and still somehow warm and caring. So what if she doesn't sound like Barbara Cook or Rebecca Luker? I don't think either of them would have worked as well with Jackman. You see, together, their chemistry is palpable but not overbearing, and you can believe that she would follow the big lie because she can see that end justifies means here, when it means that her little brother can be happy and thriving. The closing moments of this version are the first where I've ever really felt like Marian is a part of the fabric of River City, not some unattainable ideal. 

I suspect that the next time The Music Man comes around, it may be an edgier production that leans into the score's undeniable rap numbers. (Did Willson write a hip hop musical?) And maybe it won't read like a living Grandma Moses painting, all idealistic and patriotic. I look forward to that. But for now, maybe comfort food Amricana is what we all really need.

📸: J. Kyler, J. Marcus, J. Cervantes

LOGOS: The Music Man (2021)

Like most of us that are into the theater scene, we, too, are craving anything that could possibly count as new content. Which brings us to the installation of a new marquee for a new Broadway show - the new revival of The Music Man. Today, we'll share a few thoughts about that marquee and the logo itself.

As The Music Man celebrates (and slyly skewers) antiquated Americana, the feel of the complete logo is spot on, from its old-fashioned font, its sepia tinged coloring, and its use of antique iconography. The whole thing feels positively 1912! The details are actually quite amazing. Put together, they take us back in a comfortable way.  Of course, like the show itself, it is remarkable how there are subversive digs at the gullibility of Americans to be taken in by a trickster who knows how to exploit his next pigeons. (Sound familiar?) Including an "ad" for the music man's services is spot on. In short, I think the whole package is pretty terrific. Below, I've pieced together all of their logo pieces for you:

But the "whole package" is also a problem in terms of advertising. In order to catch the full power of this logo, you really have to look closely at it. Really close. Who has the time to do this while walking down Broadway? Is the gentle color pallet enough to make one stop or even give it more than a passing glance? The "whole package" is great when you have it to hold onto, say as a poster, Playbill or souvenir program. But as an inducement to buy (expensive) tickets. COVID may have changed the way the game is played, so just the title alone may be an inducement for those craving cheery Americana. I guess we won't know for awhile. But if traditional logos/advertising rules will continue to hold after all of this, I'm not entirely sold on it.

Then there's the marquee at the Winter Garden Theatre. As a whole, I think it's quite attractive. But I'm not sure I understand the set up. The only way to see what show is playing there is to be across the street and looking at the building directly. Who thought putting two names on the signage that you can see from the sidewalk or in passing traffic was a good idea? First, are you selling the stars or the show? What happens when one or both are out? What happens to any possible sales from people who don't know much about Broadway, but might know the title? Second, what happens when one or both leave the show? If the show is well done, why shouldn't it continue to run? Most, if not all, of the longest running shows are long runners because the show is good, no matter who is in it. 

But, like I said at the top, anything new is cause for hope and excitement. That sentiment is shared by my Twitter buddy, @broadwaybobnyc, who graciously shared the above photo. And as a person who actually saw it in person, he offers this take on it: "Honestly, I teared up a bit both from happiness at the marquee’s optimism and sadness at the current state of Broadway. I give them great credit for giving us something to looking forward to and lighting up those beloved Winter Garden lights."

Optimism and sadness - I agree. Let's stick with optimism. We need it now more than ever.

#2423