At This Theater: The Belasco

I've been seeing shows at the Belasco Theatre long enough to have been there before and after its refurbishment. The Belasco of today is a far cry from the old, which was dingy, dirty, and visibly falling apart. Thank the theater gods that it transformation happened! As it currently stands, it has probably my favorite interior, with its stunning decor and lighting fixtures and gorgeous stained glass windows. You can feel the history every time you enter the house. (You feel a different kind of history, though, in the tiny lobby/box office area, with its floor to ceiling dark marble. Mausoleum vibes!)

At This Theater:

The Belasco

Between us, we've only seen five different shows there, but we saw Hedwig several times, and I'm happy to report that pretty much anywhere in the house offers at least a good view - and that includes both box and on-stage seating!

# of Shows We Saw There: 5

     

          

Shows We Saw There: Passing Strange, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, End of the Rainbow, Twelfth Night, Hedwig and the Angry Inch

How They Rate:

5. End of the Rainbow: Mike saw this one, I did not. He says, "It was memorable for Tracee Bennett's manic performance. I also enjoyed seeing Tom Pelphrey from The Guiding Light." 

WHERE HE SAT: Balcony: far away, but good sight lines.

4. Passing Strange: Here's a show Mike and I disagree on. He enjoyed it. I did not. One thing we did agree on is that we felt it really pushed the boundaries of musical theater, and that's always a good thing. He enjoyed the score, while I felt it was a bit self-indulgent, particularly with Stew himself literally center stage. Still, the cast was amazing, including both Rebecca Naomi Jones and Daniel Breaker. 

WHERE WE SAT: Side right orchestra about 8 rows back on the aisle: excellent view.

3. Twelfth Night: Aside from the thrill of seeing such gifted actors as Mark Rylance, Samuel Barnett and Stephen Frye doing Shakespeare, perhaps the most memorable thing about the production is that it was done as closely as practical to the way it was done in The Bard's time; men played all of the roles, much of the lighting included candles, and there was a Globe-like unit set. It was fun and so theatrical!

WHERE WE SAT: On stage! It really added to the experience, being up close to and part of the action. Surprisingly, I never felt like we missed a thing, sitting on the side of the stage, up on a huge multi-level platform. And it was really cool to look out into the theater, seeing what the actors can - it is true, you really can see obnoxious patrons clearly from there!

2. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown: I always wonder what we would have thought of it, had we seen it after opening night, like we were supposed to. As it turned out, thanks to postponements, we ended up seeing one of the first previews. Well, though it was clearly still a work in progress, it was in terrific shape. And as a theater aficionado, it was a thrill to see it at this point. I will never forget Laura Benanti stopping the show with her tour de force number, "Model Behavior," or a very game Patti LuPone whizzing by, wig askew, on a motorcycle, or fellating a lollipop while singing and swinging from a bungee cord! David Yazbek's score remains one of my favorites of the 21st century, 

WHERE WE SAT: Side left orchestra about 8 rows back on the aisle: excellent view, nothing cut off.

1. Hedwig and the Angry Inch: I'm pretty sure both Mike and l of agree that Hedwig is not one of our absolute favorite shows. But the performance of it is just so exciting, and this production was so wonderfully staged, we ended up seeing it four times. Each of the three actors we saw in the title role - Neil Patrick Harris, Darren Criss and Michael C. Hall were so different, it truly became a study in the craft of acting.There was so much to love and appreciate about each performer, it wouldn't really be fair to pick our favorite. And Lena Hall was simply brilliant, while Rebecca Naomi Jones brought her own lively spin on the role of Itzak, and proved why she remains one of our favorite Broadway performers.

WHERE WE SAT: Center mezzanine: the perfect view, able to see the big picture and still see the tiniest of details. House left box seat. Another great view, with an up-close view of most of the stage.

#2613

"Hit Songs" From Broadway Misfires: Showstoppers Edition

This edition of "Hit Songs" From Broadway Misfires proves two things. One, even the masters of the art form can have a flop, and, two, even a flop can generate a toe-tapping big number. These songs are those that I often skip to when I revisit the scores of Aspects of Love, The Goodbye Girl, and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Thanks, in part, to the greatness of some of the top composers and lyricists of the 20th century, we are fortunate that these scores were recorded.

"Hit Songs" From Broadway Misfires:

Showstoppers Edition

"Hand Me the Wine and the Dice" from Aspects of Love

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart

Sung by Giulietta (Kathleen Rowe McAllen) and the Company

Favorite Lyrics:

If death were given a voice,

That voice would scream through the sky:

Live while you may for I am coming...

So...

Hand me the wine and the dice,

I want my carnival now,

While I have thirst and lust for living!

Hand me the wine and the dice,

The time is racing away --

There's not a taste that's not worth trying!

And if tomorrow it ends,

I won't have wasted today --

I will have lived like I am dying.

Considering that this song begins as a eulogy, one might not immediately think of this as showstopper, but it most definitely was.  Catchy and vibrant, the music matches the mood, the point, and the character whose life is being honored here. A truly memorable moment in an otherwise forgettable production. (I have since seen a production that made the whole show work. On Broadway, not so much.)

"A Beat Behind" from The Goodbye Girl

Music by Marvin Hamlisch

Lyrics by David Zippel

Sung by Paula (Bernadette Peters), Billy (Scott Wise) and the Company

Favorite Lyrics:

Billy

Push it class
Cause it gets tougher
Paula, you're a beat behind
Arms apart
For your art, suffer
Paula, move your sweet behind
Stop looking glum
Overcome by inertia
Some season soon
Tommy Tune
May rehearse ya
He'll keep you on your feet
Till you lose your mind
You're a beat behind

Company

Paula, what happened to Paula?
So sad to see Paula fall apart

Paula

Out of breath
Out of shape
And exactly as I thought,
Behind.
Look at her
With the lungs of Madonna
And a taut behind
Somebody
Get me an anti-depressant
She's at the post
Maybe post-adolescent
Time can be so unkind
I'm a beat behind
This is so perverse
Better call a nurse
Better yet a hearse.

I thought I'd bounce right back
A job would fall in place
But what is so appalling is
I'm falling on my face

As I am middle aged and currently unemployed, this song about bringing oneself "up to date" hits a little closer to home than it used to. But I've always loved this dance-y tune (its great to clean to...) and its name-dropping lyrics. What's fun is those names are both timely (Tommy Tune has just staged the intermissionless, never-stop-dancing Grand Hotel, and Madonna was as big as ever, vogue-ing away) and timeless (Tommy and Madonna are still and will always be superstars in their fields).

"On the Verge" from Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Music and lyrics by David Yazbek

Sung by Lucia (Patti LuPone), Pepa (Sherie Rene Scott), Candela (Laura Benanti), Marisa (Nikka Graff Lanzarone) and the Women

Favorite Lyrics:

LUCÍA

Welcome to the edge
The verge, the ledge
The bridge is out
You're looking in the mirror, baby

This is where it rips
A tear, a tear
A fear that what's been coming
Isn't coming 'cause it's here now

I admit it's kind of thrilling as you

ALL

Teeter on the brink and
You're thinking you're drunk and
A thought, or a word
Could break the thread
You're hanging by so

Keep it to yourself
Shut up. Or not
Let go. Hang on
And pretty soon you're ululating

Like a banshee
Can she cope?
She's out of rope but her
Lipstick's straight

Oh what might have been! The show that could've been a huge hit with just a little more time, work, and a cast change or two. The score, however, was not the problem (mostly), and has more hits than misses. Maybe it was the staging (Patti performing fellatio on a lollipop, a stage full of divas dangling overhead on bungee cord swings...) that makes this number stick out in my memory, but I really think it is the song. Daring, crazy, urgent, the song feels literally "on the verge." And the lyrics - fast, clipped, contradictory, playful, but strong. And the internal rhymes are delicious. But my favorite part is when Yazbek uses the word "ululating" (who does that?) and then has one of the women do just that! Brilliant. I'm already looking forward to the revival!

#2458

The Broadway Ladies: Ms. February 2019: Laura Benanti

She's been a Broadway favorite for years. And while she's made quite a name for herself on television with her hilarious Melania impression and appearances on such programs as Supergirl, we all love her for never turning her back on the stage. After a resume that includes nearly a dozen Broadway productions and 5 Tony nominations (and 1 win), she's making her dreams come true playing Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. She just extended her fun into the summer, so let's celebrate the wonderful Laura Benanti our honoree as Ms. Broadway February 2019.

BROADWAY LADIES

February 2019

My Fair Lady's Laura Benanti

HEAD SHOTS AND CANDIDS

GETTING TO KNOW LAURA BENANTI
Birth Date: July 15
Birthplace: New York, NY
Family: Married to Patrick Brown, 1 child, Ella
Select Theater Credits: Broadway: The Sound of Music, Swing!, Into the Woods, Nine, The Wedding Singer, Gypsy, In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, She Loves Me, Meteor Shower, My Fair Lady; Off-Broadway: Why Torture Is Wrong and the People Who Love Them, Gypsy, The Most Happy Fella; Regional (L.A.): Time and Again

REGIONAL

TIME AND AGAIN

OFF-BROADWAY

BROADWAY

#2001