Update…
Tony season is upon the theater community here in NYC and I’ve been making some rounds to really incredible shows.
In no particular order...
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
The all African-American production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams opened a couple months ago and I recently got to see it. It boasts an amazing cast featuring the legendary James Earl Jones, powerhouse Phylicia Rashad, recent movie Dreamgirl: Anika Noni Rose and movie star turned theater newbie: Terrance Howard.
This is one of my favorite classic plays and I really enjoyed the layer having an all Black cast added to the production. I love the show’s language and less that subtle subtext.
It was thrilling to see Mr. Jones embody the role of Big Daddy and Ms. Rashad as Big Mama. I’ve never gotten to see either one of these fine actors on stage, so getting to see both of them…on the same stage…in two amazing roles was simply incredible.
A few years ago I got to see Anika Noni Rose in the musical, Carolina or Change. She picked up a Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and only great things have followed. She was in the motion picture Dreamgirls with Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson and now she’s back on Broadway sharing a stage with some of the industry heaviest hitters. What a brilliant career…with more to come.
From Up Here
A year ago I raved about Julie White in the play, Little Dog Laughed (she did go on to win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play), she’s back in NYC and is off-Broadway in the play, From Up Here.
I went to play knowing little about it except that Ms. White was in it. That sold me. The play was great and showcases some of the strongest acting I’ve seen on stage in a while. The entire cast pulls their own weight and seem to bring out the best performances in each other. A true ensemble.
The play frames a complicated, troubled teen and his family with biting, real humor. In the beginning you don’t know exactly what the son has done but the fall out seems to ripple through the entire family.
August: Osage County
A whole other beast…the play August: Osage County. The play just won the Pulitzer Prize and as collected the most amazing, completely deserved reviews. For the first time in Broadway history (I think) a show has moved next door to the theater it was in. Shows move on occasion but it’s rarely next door.
It played out like this…August: Osage County was at the Imperial which is now going to be the home of Billy Elliot. Billy Elliot it isn’t there yet, but they need to get the joint ready. So August: Osage County moved next door to the empty Music Box theater. The cool thing is the marquee is up for August: Osage County at both theaters.
I snapped a few pictures the other day to commemorate the happening.
On to the show…I can hardly articulate the experience of this play. Coming in at over 3 hours with 2 intermissions this show is a marathon of talent.
This play is filled with emotional landmines, verbal sabotage and transcendent performances by almost the entire cast of 13. The dinner table scene in the second act is the stuff actor’s dream of. Even with the show clocking in over 3 hours – I would’ve sat down and watched the second act all over again.
The show is brilliant. Absolutely…start to finish brilliant. As I walked out of the theater and toward the subway…I just kept shaking my head and saying, “Wow.” Pulitzer Prize aside, this show will sweep the Tony’s.
The play was so intense and packed that I picked up a copy today and started reading it right away.
Prepare yourself and check out:
www.augustonbroadway.com
A Catered Affair
If August: Osage County was a loud, brash, family drama the other end of the spectrum would land at A Catered Affair. This is the new Harvey Fierstein musical that is really more of a play with music.
The show has divided musical theater lovers. People seem to either love it or hate it. I’ve yet to find anyone who’s thought it was just Ok.
For the record: I loved it. I thought it was gentle, poignant and heartbreaking. There is nothing else like it on Broadway and that’s why it belongs.
It also just got nominated for 12 Drama Desk Awards...not too shabby.
