Catch Me If You Can

On Wednesdays , at the Times Square Visitor Center, Seth Rudetsky records his weekly radio show for Sirius/XM On Broadway. He has different Broadway starts and others connected with theatre come in and he will interview them and sometimes you can hear previews of music from new cast recordings.

The Wednesday of my trip to the city, Seth had Aaron Tveit, lead in Catch Me If You Can, along with the two creators, Terrence McNally and Marc Shaiman on his show. And I was there. To be honest, although

Catch Me was on my radar, I didn’t have it in my plans to go see. Time and money were both issues, and this show had taken a backseat to others.

At the Wednesday recording of Seth’s show my opinion changed drastically. Aaron sang two songs from the show, “Seven Wonders” and “Goodbye”. After hearing Aaron sing these songs I had to see this show. Even after seeing the show, these songs are two of my favorites from the production.

If you know the movie Catch Me If You Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, you pretty much know the plot line of this musical. In case you don’t, it is based on the true story of con-man Frank Abagnale, Jr. who ran away from home at the age of 16 and had written bad checks of over $2.5 million, as well as impersonated a pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer by the time he was 21 years old.

I saw the movie when it first came out, and I had been following the development of the musical version since
I had seen Tveit in Next to Normal a few years ago. I was interested to see him on stage again and I knew I loved the movie. A musical version made me slightly wary, though.

The musical basically followed the same story as the movie version. However, there was lots of song, dance and color. Which I count as a wonderful thing. My seats at the show were amazing. With a discount ticket code, we got front row Mezzanine seats. Once again, the theatre was small enough that we were extremely close to the stage. I loved it.

The story starts out with Frank Abagnale being captured by Agent Carl Hanratty. It leads into the first number called “Live in Living Color” and it is every bit as colorful as its name. Throughout the show Tveit breaks the fourth wall and actually talks to the audience. Some people might find that disturbing, but I find it like a breath of fresh air. Frank Abagnale just wants to tell his story to the audience… live in living color. :)

The show immediately jumps back in time to his childhood home where you are introduced to his parents, Frank Sr, played with great gusto by Tom Wopat and Paula Abagnale. Paula was played by Rachel de Benedet, and in my opinion was the most graceful and beautiful dancer in the entire show. As the show progresses, you see the influence that Frank Jr’s father has on him, and the devastation he feels when his parents divorce, leading to his running away and subsequent fall into a life of swindling and impersonating.

When we’re introduced to Norbert Leo Butz’s character, Agent Hanratty, he let’s us in on his personality with the number “Don’t Break the Rules.” It’s fun, cute, and there are dancing men in FBI standard issued black suits. You can’t help but smile. Butz does a great job with becoming Hanratty. You like him, just as much as Abagnale likes him. When Abagnale called Hanratty just to have someone to talk on Christmas day, you knew there would be an interesting relationship between the tow.

I also have to point out that Kerry Butler, as Brenda, had a horrible, but brilliantly dealt with “moment” on stage during the number “Christmas Is My Favorite Time of Year.” She has no lines and only had to walk across the stage at that point in the show. But her shoe got stuck in a crack in the stage. From where I was sitting you could see her jerk her foot a couple of times to try to get it lose and then seen the realization that she was going to have to do something run all over her face. She ended up leaving the shoe and continuing her walk with only one shoe. Luckily, right after that number the curtain came down for intermission. Otherwise, I don’t know what would have happened to that poor shoe.

Coming back from intermission shows Abagnale and Brenda meeting and eventually falling in love, while he is posing as a doctor. This is where the number “Seven Wonders” is in the show. And even as a duet between Brenda and Frank (instead of solo, as I heard Tveit sing it earlier in the week), the song was adorably sweet. Of course, after meeting her family under an assumed name, Hanratty catches up with Abagnale, forcing him to go on the run, and eventually be caught.

Another of my favorite numbers in the show is “Goodbye”, which Abagnale sings toward the end of the show, after he’s captured. It’s a great song that talks about how it is sometimes easier to tell your story YOUR way, instead of the whole truth. Sometimes, it’s just easier to leave the bad parts out.

Overall, my only complaint about the whole show was Kerry Butler’s (Brenda) solo song, “Fly, Fly Away.” She did a fantastic job singing it, the song itself was just a little underwhelming, in my opinion. This show was full of fun and fluff. Not the deepest show you’ll ever see, but if you’re looking for fun and lots of color, dancing, and singing, you can’t miss with this one.

Jerusalem

I have a lot to say in this post and I’m sure it still won’t cover or convey all the things I am thinking or feeling in regards to the play, Jerusalem. I know that it’s been two weeks since I saw the show and in some ways I’m still processing what happened on that stage, in that theatre that night. If you don’t feel like you want to take the time to read my ramblings, just read this: I’ve never been so moved by a straight play in my life. I’ve never had that many emotions. I’ve never left a theatre so unsure of my feelings about a show. And you MUST see it if you have the opportunity.

My friend and I rushed this show to get cheaper tickets. It was a show that we knew a little about, but the biggest kicker for me was the fact that John Gallagher, Jr was in this show. Having seen him in American Idiot four times, I was anxious to see him in something different. I’d also heard wonderful things about Mark Rylance in La Bete.

Let me first mention the set. The curtain came up and I was immediately in a forest. There were actual TREES on this stage. And real grass. And even a cage with actual live chickens. Even though this play is set in the English country-side, I swear I’ve been to very similar areas on my Tennessee mountain, complete with broken down trailers, couches, and old car seats sitting in front of a fire pit.

There are three acts to this play. The first act, in many ways is solid comedy. At first intermission, I wasn’t really sure where the show was going. It was funny, and you were getting an idea of what was going on, but it hadn’t really come together yet. The second act begins to sew more and more pieces together. It was still comedic. But you were beginning more and more things happening that were leaning hard to the serious side. By the third act I was entranced. As was the entire theatre. It was silent. I was still. My eyes never left the stage and I was slightly afraid to blink in case I would miss something.

Mark Rylance plays Johnny “Rooster” Byron, a story-telling, middle aged drug dealer that has a following of teenagers and misfits. Each of his “followers” have their own issues going on and most of them have a safer, more stable existence when they are partying at Rooster’s than they would if they were home. But they all seem to continue to gravitate toward Rooster and his amazingly charismatic personality. The premise of the show, at a VERY basic level is that Johnny “Rooster” Byron lives in a trailer in the English countryside on land that does not belong to him. The local town is trying to forcibly remove him from the area.

Rylance commands the stage as Rooster. It makes me believe that he is every bit as charismatic off-stage as he is in the role of Rooster. His ability to bewitch the audience is amazing. But I’ll be honest, when he came out the stage door, he was so quite, polite and unassuming that if I’d seen him anywhere else, I’d have assumed that he was anyone else in the city, working a “regular” job and going nowhere near Broadway.

I should point out a few other actors in this show. I don’t want to forget what an amazing cast this was. Aimeé-Ffion Edwards played teen runaway Phaedra. She sang most of her lines in the show and had a hauntingly beautiful presence onstage.

Mackenzie Crook played Rooster’s side-kick. Or as much of a side-kick as Rooster would allow. Crook gave the character of Ginger humor and loyalty. He was, in fact, Rooster’s most loyal follower. A true friend? I’d believe so. Crook received a Tony nomination for this role and I feel it was more than deserved.

And I can’t finish this post without mentioning former Idiot, John Gallagher, Jr. as Lee, a young man who has decided to leave England for Australia in hopes of something new. He is most of the reason that I went to the show. I’ll admit that. But the play itself, and Mark Rylance’s superb performance were the reason I fell in love with the show. I recommend it to anyone that wants a solid piece of theatre that will make you think and feel things in ways that theatre rarely does.

This limited engagement has extended through August 21st. Go see it. Part of my New Year’s resolution was to see more plays as well as to see more original works. I was blessed to get both of those done with this wonderful British transfer.

The Importance of Being Earnest

Some of you may not know about this cool little program that Roundabout Theatre Company has called Hip Tix. It is for people who are ages 18-35 and you can get great seats to Roundabout shows for around $22. It’s free to enroll. If you live in the NYC area, or if you are planning on a vacation to NY, join! It’s a fantastic deal.

I start this post off with that little bit of information because Hip Tix is how I got my tickets to see The Importance of Being Earnest while I was in New York on vacation. Our seats were in the mid-mezzanine at the American Airlines Theatre, but the theater is small enough that even those seats are fantastic.

I went to see The Importance of Being Earnest knowing nothing about it, other than it was a straight play and a comedy. I have to say right away that I loved it. It was a laugh from start to finish. The show is basically set in England in the 1800’s and follows a couple of men who use aliases to become someone they aren’t. Their reasons are different. But the result is the same. Comedy, confusions, and mix-ups. The show is also very much a lesson in class divisions.

One of the greatest things about this show was that Lady Bracknell was played by Brian Bedford. Brian Bedford also directed the show. He is up for lead actor in a play for the role and I have to say the nomination is well deserved. Bedford gives a classic performance of a stodgy, upper class woman that is dead set against her daughter marrying out side of their own class.

Algernon Moncrieff is a well-to-do spoiled brat that gets a kick out of getting his way. Santino Fontana was fantastic in portraying this character with a sort of innocent, trouble maker persona. Even though you could easily hate a character that was so insistent about getting his way, Fontana made the character completely loveable.

John Worthing is a character who has created a fake brother in order for him to get away with things while he lives as “Earnest” and yet maintain his upstanding persona as John. David Furr was hilarious. He facial expressions were priceless and he, like Fontana, made you love a character that you might just hate because he’s lying so much.

The sets were huge on this set, and even though the show wasn’t extremely long, it required two intermissions for set changes. Pretty elaborate, but the sets were beautiful.

It’s worth seeing. Comedy and fun are throughout the show and it was nice to see another straight play on Broadway. The more plays I see on Broadway, the more willing I am to see them. I’ll admit, this formerly “musical only” girl may just be changing her mind.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Prior to seeing How to Succeed on Broadway, I’d read both good and bad reviews of the show. People who believed that Daniel Radcliffe was not talented enough to portray the lead role J. Pierrepont Finch. Others who thought he did a great job. Others believed the show “dated” and not worth the time. Because I tend to keep bad reviews in the back of my head more often than good reviews, I went into the show with a bit of wariness.

I bought the tickets anyway because I am a fan of fun, colorful musicals. I also wanted to see the show because I remember watching Night Court with John Larroquette as a child, and was anxious to see him playing Mr. Biggley. And because Mary Faber (of American Idiot fame) was in the show and I never got to see her in all of the times I saw American Idiot. And I won’t even lie, I wanted to see Daniel Radcliffe on stage (yes, I bought into stunt casting).

I had pretty great seats for this show. Second row of the mezzanine put my friend and I closer to the stage than the orchestra seats that were left for the performance when I saw the show. The show itself was exactly what I thought it would be. It was comedy with song and dance and a lot of fantastic color. The costuming of the show was amazing. The colors really fit the mood of the show. They were bright and with the colorful lighting of the show, they really added as much character to the show as the actors themselves.

At the beginning of the show, J. Pierrepont Finch is a window washer with a self-help book. The title: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. And Finch sets out to follow the steps in the book. Throughout the show, with lots of comedy and grace, the charismatic Finch works his way to the top and out of disaster after disaster.

After talking his way into a job in the mail room, Finch quickly catches the eye of Rosemary Pilkington, secretary. Rosemary was played by Rose Hemingway, and in my opinion was the true star of the show. She gives her character such honesty and you love her from the beginning. One of her songs that seems “dated” by today’s standards, but fits perfectly with the time period of the show is “Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm.” Rosemary sings of her desire to be nothing by a housewife to Finch, even if he works long hours and ignores her. But as she sang that song, I almost wanted to go back in time and be that housewife.

When Finch befriends J.B. Biggley, president of the company, he spends all of his time researching Biggley in an effort to make Biggley love him even more. Biggley, was played with great comedic timing by John Larroquette. One of my favorite comedic numbers in the show was “Grand Old Ivy,” that was Finch and Biggley singing about the college that Biggley had attended and that Finch had convinced Biggley he had gone to as well. It was probably my favorite number that was done by leads in the show.

I should also mention two numbers that were ensemble numbers. Both were done in the first act and were hilarious. The first, “Coffee Break,” was a hilarious homage to that illusive break that most people crave (although some might crave their smoke break even more). The second was a very sexist (but truly hilarious) number called “A Secretary Is Not a Toy.” It was basically 1960’s version of sexual harassment training with song, dance, and comical visual aids.

Overall, this show was very much worth seeing. It’s a comedy. A parody of the time and the “typical” office of the time. The coloring, the music, and the dancing were very much like Promises, Promises (which I saw last year). It’s not deep. It’s not serious. But it is seriously funny and lighthearted.

As for the criticisms I read about Mr. Radcliffe, they were, in my opinion, not valid. He did a good job. Is he the most talented person to ever grace the stage? Probably not. But he was good. The stories I read about all the extra time and effort he put into the show seem to be true and they paid off. I enjoyed seeing him on stage. And he has a killer American accent.

Should you go see it? If you’re looking for a fun way to kill a few hours (and a lot of money), I say do it. You’ll leave smiling.

The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism With a Key to the Scriptures

The first show I saw while on my trip to NYC was honestly not one I would have gone to if my friend hadn't wanted to attend. I like happy. I like funny. I'm not a huge fan of depressing shows. I've seen some I liked, don't get me wrong. But in general, I'd rather see something with song, dance & sparkles instead of something that makes me want to go home and die when I'm finished seeing it because I'm so depressed.

Because of this, a Tony Kushner play was not exactly at the top of my list of shows to see. Especially since i knew it was nearly four hours long. And the title alone was impossible to remember (and has conveniently been shortened to #IHo on Twitter). But, my friend wanted to go see The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism With a Key to the Scriptures, which was playing at The Public Theater.

Truth be known, I was a fan of several of the cast members, as well as a fan of Michael Greif, the director. So I went. With only a few jokes about how depressing it was going to be. I am the first person to admit when I'm wrong about something (at least when it comes to theatre), and I was WRONG about this play. It was pretty darn amazing. It was funny, relateable in many ways, and yet got the very serious point across well.

I won't ruin the whole plot of the show, but it was basically about a family living in Brooklyn. The mother passed away years ago. Gus Marcantonio, patriarch of the family and lifelong fighter for union rights, had tried unsuccessfully to commit suicide the year before. Since that time, his activist sister Clio has been staying with him. At the beginning of the show Gus has called all three of his children together to tell them that he wanted to try to end his life again, but that he wanted their approval (or permission?) to do it first.

Pill, his oldest son, has been living with his long time partner Paul out of state after Pill was caught cheating on Paul. Empty is Gus' only daughter and in the middle of her own problems. Empty's ex-husband, Adam is living Gus' basement, while Empty is trying to deal with her partner Maeve is pregnant with their child. Youngest child, V is the only child who has been actively around since their father's last suicide attempt. He and his wife Sooze and their children live down the street, so V has been present when his other siblings have not. Each of the family members are fighting their own demons, and then they are trying to deal with the looming question of how and if they should make peace with their father and his decisions.

Stephen Spinells & Michael Esper. Taken from webage of The Public Theater

One of the most spectacular things about this show was the set. Designed by Mark Wendland, with lighting by Kevin Adams, this was one of the coolest sets I've seen in a while. Most of the show takes place in the living area of Gus Marcantonio's home. It is mentioned several times that the home was passed down for several generations, and the set makes it hold the appearance of a well lived in, older home. There are bookshelves filled with stacks of books, old family photos, and the paint and color scheme of a home that has most certainly been lived in for a long time. Other scenes were just as aptly done, my favorite being a scene in which Pill, Paul, and Pill's lover, Eli are outside near a subway stop. It was simple, yet perfect for the scene. It allowed you to focus on the actors and not the surroundings.

The cast was as close to perfect as you could get. In fact, it's hard for me to pick one actor that outshines the rest. Instead, I'll just pick a few that touched a chord with me. I loved seeing Stephen Spinella in the role of Pill. He's dealing with so many things in his life, including the fact that he loves his partner Paul, but has been cheating on him for years. Normally my head would go straight to "what a jerk!" with someone who had been cheating on their significant other. But Spinella made Pill a character that you connected with, even if you don't understand why he does the things he does.

Michael Cristofer in the role of Gus Marrcantonio was a wonderful thing to behold. This man is so conflicted about how to make his family understand that he simply doesn't want to live anymore. His individual conversations with his children seem to be his way of not only making his peace with them, but making his peace with himself. Cristofer's Gus makes it well known that he adores his children and his decision to end his life has nothing to do with anything they have or haven't done.

And of course, I have to mention Michael Esper in the role of Eli, Pill's lover. Anyone who knows me (or reads my blog) knows that I love Esper. After all, I did see American Idiot six times. This role was so different, and yet very much the same. Eli is young. He's living a life many would not approve of (slightly on the outskirts of society like Will in American Idiot?). But he has a heart. And Michael Esper makes sure that you know it. There was a point during the show that I wanted to walk up on stage and give him a hug. Not because he was Michael Esper, but because I truly felt like Eli needed a hug.

In between all of the drama and craziness of the story (if I just told you all the details you'd swear it was an episode of Jerry Springer) you begin to realize that this family is just like your family. Your family has issues. They fight at Thanksgiving dinners and family holidays. They laugh together. They drive each other crazy. And you also become very glad of the comedic touches that are woven throughout the story. I believe Kushner did a great job of writing a play that has enough comedy that you don't leave feeling hopeless or sad.

This show is only running through June 12th. Although I realize I don't have a great deal of readers (and even less in the NYC area), I highly encourage anyone who can get there to go. It's worth it.

VACATION

So I just got back from a whirlwind, probably once in a lifetime trip to New York City. I go as often as I can, but I never stay for more than a few days. Basically, I can't afford to stay very long. NYC is expensive.

But this year I have several things to celebrate/numb the pain for (my 30th birthday *cringe*, having lived well with diabetes for 25 years *yay!*, and my 5 year anniversary at my job *ug*) so I splurged. I spent 6 days in New York (Brooklyn, to be more specific) and got to do some pretty amazing things while I was at it.

Of course, me being me, I saw 5 shows while I was there. And I'm proud to report that I have good things to say about all of them. Also, a plus toward my New Year's Resolution, I saw 2 original shows. And for the first time in my Broadway going history, I officially saw more straight plays than musicals while I was there. Kind of a shocker if you consider the fact that I am a musical junkie.

Here are some things I learned while on this trip to New York:

1.) Rush tickets are HARD to get (at least to the shows I wanted them for).

2.) Brooklyn is a long way from mid-town Manhattan

3.) Apparently it likes to rain several days in a row in New York. That's never happened to me before. It also made me realize I need to buy some rain boots.

4.) Theatres can be freakishly COLD sometimes. Even in May.

5.) Everyone knows someone from Tennessee. Or Texas.

Obviously, show reviews will be coming over the next several days. It may take up to a couple of weeks to get them all up because I'm busy. But I'll have them up as soon as I can get them written. I promise.

Open Letter to the Broadway Community (and Nick Adams)

Very recently a bill was passed in Tennessee that made it against the law to use the term "gay" in the classroom. I was slightly surprised at this, but what I was appalled by was the harsh & horrible way some members of the theatre community responded.

First off, let me say that I don't think this bill is right. I think it its ridiculous. Secondly, let me say that this bill was NOT something that was voted on by the public. It was presented, voted on & passed by elected officials.

I have lived in Tennessee my entire life, but I am a lover of theatre & the arts. I do my best to get to New York to see shows whenever I can afford it, but the fact remains that money is tight and a majority of the professional shows I see are tours.

Nick Adams, upon hearing of the newly passed bill, decided to call for a boycott of all tours coming to Tennessee. When I read his tweet my heart broke. I'm a fan of Nick's, but I feel the need to point a few things out to him, along with anyone else that might decide that he is right.

My first point has already been made: the public did NOT vote on this bill. It is also important to point out that most people in Tennessee simply cannot afford to take a trip to New York to see a show. Then add in the fact that most of the people who would have voted for that bill (had the public been given the chance to vote on it) couldn't care less if a show like Priscilla: Queen of the Desert or anything like it came to Tennessee. I'd even venture to say they'd be thrilled if it didn't.

In fact, the people you would be hurting would be people like myself, who live for a small chance to see a live performance.

You'd be hurting the young people who live in the state who might be struggling with their sexuality & need someone to relate to. What happened to "It Gets Better"? You'd rather never come to Tennessee & let those young people feel even more abandoned than they already do?

Take a page out of the Civil Rights Movement. People faced that. They went to the problem & made a statement. They sat down in the "Whites Only" restaurants & sat at the front of the bus.

The only thing that those of us living in Tennessee can do is vote at the next election. But the members of the theatre community, you have the opportunity to do more. Perform shows that break stereotypes & educate people. And shouldn't you be trying to educate people who may not have a chance to be educated otherwise?

Don't boycott tours to Tennessee. It isn't the way to fix the problem. It only punishes the innocents.