that girl allison

I’d heard The Other Place, part of MTC’s current season, was good, and I’d heard Laurie Metcalf was even better. I’d seen Metcalf onstage before and she’d always killed it so I took advantage of a recent opportunity to see The Other Place last Saturday.

Billed as a psychological 80-minute thriller, I thought it sounded really interesting and the fact that it had no intermission was even better. It was the story of a scientist’s recounting of her descent into dementia and how her daughters running away when she was a teenager had effected her life.

Laurie Metcalf was great. Superb actually. The play itself was good - though quite intense. It was somewhat confusing in the second half trying to figure out what was real and what wasn’t though (or maybe I just missed something!). Maybe that was the playwrights intention though, to make the audience feel as lost and confused as Metcalf’s character did.

Metcalf’s performance is reason enough to catch this production should you have the opportunity. I’m glad I saw it.

(The overexposed photo above is from the post-show talkback with the cast.)

The Performers had their final performance last night - the first of this seasons new plays to bite the dust. It began previews on October 23rd and had just opened on November 14th. Ouch.

My friend Kate had an extra ticket to the closing performance, and because it was a 90 minute show with a 7pm curtain, I said of course. I’d heard that it was funny - for the entire 90 minutes.

And it was. The entire time it was funny… at times, hysterically funny. It was about a few porn stars and a journalist and his fiancee. Would it have been better staged at a smaller space such as New World Stages? Yes, for sure. The Performers was not going to find an audience that would pay $125/ticket, even with stars.

The Performers was comprised of Broadway-famous names like Cheyenne Jackson, Daniel Breaker, and Ari Graynor, and universally-famous names like Alicia Silverstone and Henry Winkler. And one lesser known actress, Jenni Barber.

Everyone onstage did a great job. They each made me laugh loudly. Ari Graynor probably worked the hardest though as her character was the most out-there. 

The Performers was hilarious and had a good message (learn to appreciate what you have, more or less), but it wasn’t meant for the great white way. 

A week ago I caught a performance of the new musical Chaplin. A musical about a silent film star? You don’t say… 

I knew nothing about Charlie Chaplin’s life but I loved learning about it (now I’m wondering how historically accurate it is, but I digress!). The choreography was lovely, the music melodic, and the cast (featuring Rob McClure in the title role - I smell a TONY nod, as well as seasoned theatre veteran Christiane Noll as his mother) was spirited and entertaining. 

Well, I’d heard good and bad things about it, probably more bad. But lo and behold, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Overall it was probably thirty minutes too long, but it was still enjoyable. The producers announced last week that they were extending into June, much to everyone’s surprise, so if you’re a film person, or a history person, or just looking to have a good time, Chaplin might be the show for you.

When I was enrolled in the 14-week commercial producing intensive in 2010, I met my friend Lily, who was developing The Other Josh Cohen at the time and she let me listen to the demo, read the script, etc. I loved it; it had a lot of heart and was really funny.  I was ridiculously excited when she told me they were finally read to move into the Soho Playhouse downtown and begin previews.

I caught one of the final preview performances on Friday and it was still hilarious and heart-felt. The ensemble cast double as musicians and not annoyingly. Steve Rosen and David Rossmer star as the two Josh Cohen’s (and they also wrote show) and they work extremely well together onsage. Hannah Elless, Vadim Feichtner, Ken Triwush, and Kate Wetherhead round out the cast and play a number of roles fleshing out the story.

There are numerous Jewish jokes at the expense of the writers which everyone in attendance found entertaining, let’s be honest.  The music is well-written and catchy. The overall message of the show (we have control of our fate, among other things) is heart-warming. 

I may be biased, but I thoroughly enjoyed The Other Josh Cohen and I would bet that you will too if you decide to see it. 

Stop the presses! Spider-man is actually watchable, and understandable.

It’s been almost two years since I saw the first incarnation of the now-infamous musical. My review (if you don’t remember it, click here!) gave the few props where they were due, but I also told everyone what needed to be cut and changed.  I’m happy to say that they cleaned up a lot of the garbage when they re-wrote the book.

The unnecessary and intrusive Geek Chorus? That got cut (sorry, Gideon Glick – I think you’re adorable but your role was unnecessary and annoying). The first twenty minutes of the first act taking place in a museum or laboratory and being about Arachnae? Axed. Arachnae’s character is so small and pointless now that it almost makes it not worth keeping (oh, yeah, because they shouldn’t have written it in the first place!). The most impressive part of the show (the fight between the Green Goblin and Spider-man) is now at the end of the second act, not the first – where it should’ve been all along. The Green Goblin doesn’t die at the end of the first act and then magically re-appear in act two.  The Sinister 6 actually make sense now (former scientists of the Green Goblins who he has transformed against their will to get back at them for leaving his company).

And there’s no awkward electric guitarist standing stage left anymore – for no reason whatsoever.

I actually enjoyed some of the music too. Bullying By Numbers is catchy, kind of, but it still makes no sense. If The World Should End is still one of the best, and it comes sooner in the show now too – not at the end of the second act.

I feel like Peter and MJ’s relationship is much better written than it was – there are more layers to it now.

The technical aspects of the show – the flying, and video projections used – are awesome. I was watching from the dress circle and almost cringed when the Green Goblins face was lighting up the stage in it’s entirety. 

Robert Cuccioli was fantastic as the Green Goblin (oddly enough I didn’t look in my Playbill beforehand so I had no idea who was playing the Goblin and mid-way through I said to myself, you know, Robert Cuccioli would be great in this role!). Patrick Page was such an asset to the show, but Cuccioli isn’t letting anyone down.

I never really liked the raspiness of Reeve Carney’s voice, but I think he’s great in the role – transforming easily from nerd into superhero.  Rebecca Faulkenberry  played MJ, and she was good, she has a pretty voice (though she could stand to work on her belt). She got remarkably better in the second act. Maybe I’d just wished I was seeing Jennifer Damiano, but Faulkenberry just left something to be desired. 

 So, Spider-man is still not what a theatrical revelation by any means, but considering what it once was? It’s a thing of Shakespearian beauty now. I was able to follow what was going on, things made sense, and I was entertained by the spectacle. 

I seriously loved Bring It On. I could totally see myself seeing it again. I’d heard positive things and I knew the choreography and stunts were going to be amazing, but I really had such a good time. This is the best example of really good Broadway pop out there. It’s just a really good time.

Taylor Louderman was fantastic as Campbell, as was Adrienne Warren as her arch nemesis-turned-friend Danielle. I found myself unexpectedly loving Ryann Redmond as the socially awkward mascot-turned-cheerleader Bridget. 

I love the way they took inspiration from the series of Bring It On movies and made an entertaining new plot line with a couple of unexpected plot twists. The technical aspects of the show (four large LCD screens, and what looks like about $100k worth of lighting around the stage and proscenium) really added to the show in the best of ways. 

Everyone on that stage is a triple threat, possibly quadruple - could cheerleading count as a 4th ‘threat’? The choreography (by Andy Blankenbuehler) and cheer leading stunts were absolutely breathtaking, to say the least. 

Your eyes won’t know where to look sometimes and your jaw will at times be dropped. You’ll definitely have a good time at the St. James this fall. 

When I interned for a well-known producer of benefits and concerts in 2006, I became acquainted with the musical talents of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. On May 14th of that year, we produced a concert staging of their musical “Become.” It was a great success, to say the least.

I’d heard a lot about Dogfight, the Second Stage production that closed in midtown today, and mostly that it was fantastic. After Kristen and I got our tickets for Into the Woods (at the Delacorte), we hopped on the train and got two last minute tickets the third-to-last performance. Excitedly, we sat down, unsure of what to expect (and I admittedly, barely knew whether or not it was a musical or straight play).

Based on the little-known-about indie film of the same name, Dogfight is about a group of marines who have a dogfight on their last night before shipping out “to some country named Vietnam.” A dogfight is a dance in which every marine brings the most unattractive girl they can find, and whoever brings the the ugliest, wins a cash prize. The night of the dogfight, the main antagonist, a marine named Eddie (played by Derek Klena), falls for his date, a not-so-homely diner waitress named Rose (Lindsay Mendez). 

The score, by Pasek and Paul, is terrific. Duh. That was the one thing I knew I didn’t have to question. The story (book by Peter Dunchan) was interesting, heart breaking, with a lot of hilarious one-liners too. I also really enjoyed the cast, the aforementioned Klena and Mendez (though her head voice needs to be strengthened a bit, but her belt is great), along with Annaleigh Ashford (hilarious), Nick Blaemire (endearing), and Josh Segarra, and an ensemble that’s energetic and entertaining.

My one constructive criticism for Dogfight was the ending. I felt it was weak because it was incredibly vague. Do I think Dogfight should transfer to a 500+ seat Broadway house? No, probably not. It’s an intimate show that would lose a lot in say, the Jacobs. Also it’s very dark, and I don’t see that doing exceedingly well right now on Broadway either.

But was Dogfight great? Oh yes. Pasek and Paul have arrived (officially) and I have a feeling that they aren’t going anywhere. 

I really knew nothing about Judy Garland other than the fact that she was Dorothy and I’d heard once before that she was a train wreck in her later years. I’d also heard that it’d been brought over from London because of Tracy Bennett’s performance as Ms. Garland.

I was looking forward to End of the Rainbow being education and entertaining and it was both. Bennett’s performance was pretty outstanding, though I can’t speak from any actual comparison of her to Garland since I have no idea what Garland did after The Wizard of Oz. But I think the fact that the two gentlemen sitting in front of me were yelping for joy every time she opened her mouth was a strong testament to her accuracy.

While entertaining, I thought it was a tad too long. It could’ve had the same effect being 90-minutes with no intermission. Michael Cumpsty (as Anthony), Tom Pelphrey (as Mickey), and Jay Rusesell (as BBC Interviewer, etc.) were impressive as well.

I think End of the Rainbow gives Garland’s fans what they want, and it teaches the rest of us a little bit more about the star and her final, messy, days.