Cabaret

Barrington Stage Company
in ,

5 out of 5 Stars

Willkommen to the new and completely rejuvenated version of Cabaret, the beloved and poignant musical previously brought to life by the likes of Joel Gray or Alan Cumming depending on your age and/or perspective. I wondered if this giant show could be mastered in this small-town setting. Well, you can leave these concerns (along with your troubles) at the door. What awaits you at Barrington Stage is a completely refreshed and somewhat reimagined version of this story that rings the bell in every musical theatre category.

Beginning with the entrance of Nik Alexander as our Emcee, you are enthralled by the casting of every role in this production. Krysta Rodriguez is simply brilliant as Sally Bowles. Another stand-out is Candy Buckley as Fraulein Schneider. To describe these as Broadway-level performances is simply unfair to this ensemble in that they exceed any expectation you might have for a Broadway show. Labeling these performers as non-binary would be a constrained description of this beautiful and talented cast. Actors change roles and genders with extreme fluidity. Costumes, lighting, and set design all get the highest marks with the final product presented under the superb direction of Alan Paul. Placing the orchestra right on the stage further enhances the powerful punch of the music. Despite being freshly revived in its interpretation, the musical remains firmly attached to its core story by Joe Masteroff, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Fred Ebb.

Prior versions of Cabaret include the 1966 Broadway musical, a 1972 film version, and numerous revivals as recent as 2013. What these productions have in common is their historical nature. The Barrington Stage production however is every bit as much about the present and our current political landscape. It serves to supercharge the message of the show in a way that allows it to stand alone when compared to past productions.

Our access to Barrington Stage’s production of Cabaret underscores what is so wonderful about life in the Berkshires. Miss this production at your peril. After all, what good is sitting alone in your room? See the show.

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Prima Facie

Golden Theatre
in ,


5 out of 5 Stars

Sometimes you can trudge your way through a theater season wondering if there is something else you might be doing with your time and money. To bring those concerns to a complete halt, get tickets to Prima Facie starring Jodie Comer at the Golden Theatre. 

Ms. Comer, known to many for her knockout performance in the TV series Killing Eve, provides Broadway magic at its finest. This show hits its mark in every category of theater production. It is the most powerful thing I have seen in the last five years. The issues of #MeToo, sexual assault, and no-means-no are presented and brought to life in a form that is purely visceral. In the way a girl’s simple diary can tell the entire story of the Holocaust, this story encapsulates the awakening of our collective consciousness to the realities faced by women since the beginning of time.

Despite this being a one-woman show there is no shortage of depicted characters provided by Ms. Comer in her Broadway debut. Following the arc of this story is simply electrifying with equal credit given to playwright Suzie Miller who won the 2023 Olivier Award for Best New Play. Lighting, Direction, and Sound all fall perfectly into place making this an unparalleled theatrical experience you may need to see more than once. I believe it is a Tony Award shoo-in for at least Best Play and Best Actor. If I have one recommendation this year it is - do not miss this show! An extraordinary experience awaits you. The buzz is big so get your tickets soon.

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West Side Story directed by Ivo van Hove

The Broadway Theatre
in ,

5 out of 5 Stars

Great question: Do we need yet another version of West Side Story? Full disclosure – West Side Story is, in my opinion, the greatest Broadway musicals of all time – so if this were a middle school production performed in semaphore, my answer would probably be a resounding yes. But let’s go on.

This production is directed by Ivo van Hove, which to me simply means theater completely reinvented. In my opinion, his reimagination (as we saw in his Tony award-winning direction of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge and also The Crucible) represents complete genius. However having recently seen a note for note, dance step for dance step production of West Side Story by the Lyric Opera Company in Chicago that pinned the needles of satisfaction, I had concern regarding the very idea of a reinterpretation.

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Hamilton - The Tour

The Broward Center for the Performing Arts
in ,

5 out of 5 Stars

What a surprise to find that the Hamilton touring company turned its sights on South Florida at the same time as our December timeshare week in Delray. With a little cunning and a lot of luck, we were able to score two tickets to the sold-out production at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale.

Full disclosure: we are full-fledged, over the top Hamilton devotees with multiple Broadway viewings. So obviously we were curious. Would the on-the-road production live up to the Broadway standards we are accustomed to? The answer is clear.

Yes!

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West Side Story

Barrington Stage Company
in , ,

5 out of 5 Stars

The collection of geniuses that converged at the time of our nation’s birth is described in the Hamilton lyrics - - 
              "What are the odds, that the Gods, would put us all in one place?"
​​​​​​​A similar statement can be made regarding the creation of one of Broadway’s greatest musicals – West Side Story.

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Hamilton 2.0

Richard Rodgers Theatre
in ,

5 out of 5 Stars

 

“Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?” the closing line of the extraordinary event that is Hamilton is the opening of our second review of the show. Since its inception, the story has been told by the man who is slowly edging towards deity status – Lin-Manuel Miranda. Our initial viewing of the show with the actual founding father in the lead role was an unforgettable experience.  On a second viewing, what is now even clearer is what a work of genius Hamilton is. 

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