2009: A BROADWAY TRIP - SEVEN SHOWS IN ONE WEEK
by Jorge / posted March 14th, 2009

Last February, my longtime companion and I, flew one more time (our eight) to New York. We arrived on Sunday the 22nd, stayed there for a week and had a wonderful time.

It’s true, we haven’t visited all the cities in the world, but I doubt there’s another city as lively and exciting as New York. Of course for a musical fan like me that city has a special flavor – Broadway.

Our favorite spot in Manhattan is the fabulous Central Park and we love to get “lost” in it. The weather was so cold that we’re forced to use long johns under our jeans, but even so we stroll through the park three times. The rest of the time we took long walks up and down the avenues, visited three museums and did a lot of shopping.

As for Broadway, this time we saw seven shows. Six musicals and a play, the first one we ever saw on the Broadway stage. As usual, after the shows we ran to the stage doors to meet the actors and, when possible, take photos with them. To see those photos click here.

In a few lines here is my view on each of those shows:

WEST SIDE STORY

I’m a big fan of the movie, but this new production failed to impress me. With exception of Josefina Scaglione as Maria and Cody Green as Riff, the cast didn’t convince me, specially Matt Cavenaugh as Tony. There’s great dancing here, but there’s no excitement and I wasn’t able to get involved with all the drama. The best scene is the “I Feel Pretty” number, this time sung in Spanish, and the worst the indescribable “Somewhere” dream sequence.

My Rate:

SHREK, THE MUSICAL

What a pleasant surprise! I was very suspicious about this one, but I had an enjoyable time seeing it. The cast was wonderful, the production looks terrific, the score is amusing and the good humor is contagious. I loved Christopher Sieber as the bad guy and Sutton Foster, perfectly goofy as Fiona, had her big moment with the delicious “Morning Person”. Much better than THE LION KING and THE LITTLE MERMAID, I just hope it’ll find its audience and have a long run; it deserves to be a hit.

My Rate:

THE LITTLE MERMAID

The most childish of Disney’s stage musicals, this corny musical is more suitable for a Disneyworld performance than for a Broadway stage. There are some good scenic ideas, the cast was convincing, the score sounds great, but that’s it. The choreography is appalling and the “Under the Sea” number resembles a Las Vegas show, the costumes are strikingly terrible and, after a while, the “roller tennis” gimmick stops working. The Ursula numbers are the best thing about the show, but they don’t save it.

My Rate:

SOUTH PACIFIC

How can I put this? We’re talking about a highly acclaimed revival of a prestigious classic and I always loved the score, but I almost slept watching this production. Don’t get me wrong, the show looks terrific and the cast is flawless, but there’s no energy here. It’s like they decided to honor so much the original that they forgot that it opened in the 40s and the times have changed. Everything is by the book, no one took chances and the result is, sometimes, boring. It should be livelier.

My Rate:

PAL JOEY

The reviews were bad, but who cares about what critics say? It’s just a matter of taste and I loved this revival of another Richard Rodgers classic. The Studio 54 atmosphere couldn’t be better for this revised production and director Joe Mantello took full advantage of it, giving us a stylish musical, done with humor and a fascinating sense of movie editing. As for the cast, Matthew Risch looks the part and played it convincingly, Stockard Channing may not have a great singing voice but her stage presence and talent compensates it and Martha Plimpton is terrifically funny as Gladys. I also loved the sets, William Ivey Long had a great day with the costumes, the lightning is fantastic and Graciela Daniele’s funny choreography fits perfectly with the rest.

My Rate:

BLITHE SPIRIT

This comedy by Noël Coward has an interesting story, but the production is kind of dated. The fact that there’s only one set doesn’t help and the silent movie slides between scenes cut the action. Even so there are some funny moments and the cast seems like they are having a great time. Rupert Everett persona fits the part, Jayne Atkinson is good as his down to earth wife, Christine Ebersole has a full day as the dead Elvira and Angela Lansbury is simply delicious as Madama Arcati, the strange medium. With a cast like this I found myself wishing this was a revival of HIGH SPIRITS, the musical version of the play.

My Rate:

HAPPINESS

Susan Stroman and John Weidman did it again. After CONTACT they give us another good piece of musical theatre, this time with an interesting new score by Scott Frankel and Michael Korie. A group of people stranded on a subway carriage, are forced to remember the happiest moments of their life and the result is emotional (I even cried in two of those moments), funny, tender, real and uplifting. Once again Stroman show us how to keep a show moving, even if the dance doesn’t take a big part on it, and how to grab our attention. Lead by Hunton Foster and Sebastian Arcelus, the cast is simply perfect and their characters sound real; each one of them has their moment in the spotlight. By the end of show I’m sure each one of us is thinking about the happiest moment of our lives. Don’t miss it!

My Rate: