My Fair Lady

April 23, 2018 by Melissa Smith Goldstein in 4 Stars, Broadway Musicals

4 out of 5 Stars

Let’s get this straight; we’re talking about a Broadway production of My Fair Lady staged at Lincoln Center, directed by Bartlett Sher, featuring the original 1956 orchestration with a full orchestra. If the avid theatergoer finds this anything other than an extraordinary theatrical outing, perhaps you’ve picked the wrong field of entertainment. My Fair Lady is woven into the very foundation of so many Baby Boomers who grew up in a household with an appreciation for musical theater.

Farinelli and the King

Belasco Theatre

December 12, 2017 by Melissa Smith Goldstein in 4.5 Stars, Broadway Plays

4.5 out of 5 Stars

Mark Rylance is theater’s greatest living actor. Before I had ever even heard of him, I was informed of this by a reliable source - our theater-going friend Margaret. Just before the start of the show, Mr. Rylance’s position in the pantheon of actors was spontaneously reconfirmed by the young woman serving me milk duds and scotch. Two rounds of Nice Fish at St Ann’s Warehouse and his Academy Award-winning performance in Bridge of Spies have only further served to support Margaret’s claim.

When you enter the Balasco Theatre, you are immersed in 18th century Spain with the costumes, the candlelight, and era-appropriate instruments setting the tone for this ethereal musical. Farinelli and the King is based on the psychologically tortured life of King Phillipe the V and the castrato Farinelli. These two unlikely friends form a bond that spans nine years and brings respite to the King and the harried Spanish court.

The Little Foxes

Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

June 02, 2017 by Melissa Smith Goldstein in 4 Stars, Broadway Plays

4 out of 5 Stars

Lillian Hellman’s play, The Little Foxes (Tony Award nomination – Best Revival), was first performed on Broadway in 1939 but it remains a thoroughly modern play with themes that are relevant today. Grab the arms of your seat and be prepared for heaping doses of greed, sibling rivalry, scheming, manipulation, exploitation of the community, self-aggrandizement, domestic abuse, racial bias, parent/child clashes, and more greed.