‘GRAND HORIZONS’: James Cromwell & Jane Alexander. Photo: Joan Marcus

GRAND HORIZONS
Written by Bess Wohl
Directed by Leigh Silverman
Through March 1, 2020
The Helen Hayes Theater
240 West 44th Street
(212-541-4516), www 2ST.com

By David NouNou

Sustaining a marriage for 50 years is difficult. However, writing a good, sustainable comedy that doesn’t sound or read like a script from a TV sitcom these days is even harder. Playwright Bess Wohl has achieved this feat with Grand Horizons. Watching Nancy (Jane Alexander) and Bill (James Cromwell) for a few minutes setting up their dinner table and sitting down to eat, and Nancy nonchalantly uttering “I want a divorce,” is a wonderful starter.

Nothing is extraordinary about this situation and this doesn’t mean the play doesn’t have its shortcomings and filler, but what is extraordinary is the genuine laughter that playwright Ms. Wohl achieves. Grand Horizons is the name of the retirement home that Bill and Nancy live in. The remarkable cast elevates the material to hysterical heights.

The divorce isn’t so much about Nancy and Bill but how it affects their two sons: the older Ben (Ben McKenzie), his wife Jess (Ashley Park), and their younger son Brian (Michael Urie), a high-school drama teacher. The three are there to form an intervention against this divorce. In the process they discover their own shortcomings, the disillusionment of unhappy parents as they were growing up and their parents’ own secrets. The divorce stems from Nancy discovering Bill has been “sexting” Carla (Priscilla Lopez).

The setups aren’t new but there is a freshness to the tone. There is crispness to the dialogue, but the humor also comes with fillers. One such scene is Brian bringing a one-nighter (Maulik Pancholy) to his parents’ home. The scene is to establish Brian’s feelings about his parent’s divorce but the one-nighter is horny and isn’t interested in anything but sex. The scene has genuine truths in it, but is highly implausible.

What keeps the material afloat is the wonderful acting by an all-star cast, and I must admit I am a sucker for an all-star cast. Starting with Jane Alexander, long absent from the New York stage, making a regal comeback. Having first seen her in The Great White Hope, though the material here isn’t as compelling, she hasn’t lost her touch or command of the stage. She, like fine wine, has matured with age but is still lilting and grand.

Having seen James Cromwell in countless movies and TV shows, it’s great to finally see him on the New York stage. He is crotchety, compelling and ideal in trying to sort his life out.

Michael Urie plays another gay character here, but is absolutely beguiling as the lost son trying to make sense of it all. He touches the nerve of why he has never been able to connect with another person and wrenches the heart with his sincerity.

Priscilla Lopez as Carla, the other woman, just dazzles in her too-brief scene with Jane Alexander as they are discussing what to do with Bill, and starting to talk intimately is civility done to perfection.

Ben McKenzie, Ashley Park, and Maulik Pancholy add to the comic hysteria at various stages in bringing in their own perspective to this scenario.

Comedy is such a rare commodity these days and we are in such desperate need to laugh during these hard times. Grand Horizons hits the funny bone and is a welcome start to the New Year.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published January 29, 2020
Reviewed at January 28, 2020 press performance.

‘GRAND HORIZONS’: Ben McKenzie & James Cromwell. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘GRAND HORIZONS’: Priscilla Lopez & Jane Alexander. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘GRAND HORIZONS’: Ashley Park & Ben McKenzie. Photo:Joan Marcus

‘GRAND HORIZONS’: Michael Urie. Photo: Joan Marcus.

“GRAND HORIZONS’: James Cromwell. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘GRAND HORIZONS’: Jane Alexander. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘GRAND HORIZONS’: Michael Urie & Maulik Pancholy. Photo: Joan Marcus.

The post ‘Grand Horizons’ a rare comic gem appeared first on StageZine.

‘MEAN GIRLS’: (left to right) Erika Henningsen, Ashley Park, Taylor Louderman & Kate Rockwell. Photo: Joan Marcus

MEAN GIRLS
Book by Tina Fey
Music by Jeff Richmond
Lyrics by Nell Benjamin
Directed & choreographed by Casey Nicholaw
August Wilson Theatre
245 West 52nd Street
(877-250-2929), meangirlsonbroadway.com/

By David NouNou

Regardless of whether you’ve seen or know anything about Tina Fey’s 2004 movie Mean Girls, it has now been adapted as Broadway musical by Ms. Fey. The one thing you have to know is the title tells the whole story in an extremely entertaining way. Thanks to Ms. Fey’s clever and funny book and especially under the creative control of director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw, the fun never stops.

The story is one we’ve all experienced in high school; whether you were with the “in”crowd or out, athlete or dweeb, cool or a nerd, pretty or plain, smart or borderline D-. It is all here. Depending upon which category you fell in, it could conjure either good memories or nightmares. Thank God, I attended a private school back in the day full of primarily Jewish students, so there was minimal bullying and the school wasn’t strong in the athletic department. The school excelled then and still does in the brain department. Of course, I was in the drama department; no bullying there.

Similar to Clueless and Heathers, where the beautiful girls torment the rest of the student body, this story has the comeuppance of the gorgeous mean girl, Regina George (Taylor Louderman) and the outsider who just enrolled in a new school, Cady Heron ( Erika Henningsen) and the conflict she faces to fit in at this peer-pressure-filled environment.

Since the story is an obvious one, I would like to showcase it from the standpoint of its components. Ms. Fey’s book constantly moves, she gives everyone an equal opportunity to the point that some of it seems like filler. The music by Ms. Fey’s husband, Jeff Richmond, and lyrics by Nell Benjamin, are catchy and memorable. They encapsulate each person and cliques, which at times also feels like filler. However, it is the great Casey Nicholaw who injects his usual flair for the production numbers that always keeps the musical and numbers moving.

By describing the players, you can piece together the plotline. For starters, as an ensemble, the cast members all work together perfectly. They can sing, dance, and are full of energy. Erika Henningsen, the home-schooled math genius and the new kid in school, is a delight. Her transformation from the spunky outsider to the leader of the pack is gradual and delightful and brings the proper pathos when she finds out it’s not what it’s all cracked up to be. On the other hand, Taylor Louderman as the two-faced Regina George, is sensational. She has come a long way from her Broadway debut as the innocent Campbell in Bring It On.

The supporting cast are remarkable and unforgettable. Ashley Park as the fragile mean girl Gretchen Wieners has a powerhouse voice and is a constant delight. Kate Rockwell as Karen Smith, the gorgeous but dumb blonde, is hysterical. Barrett Wilbert Weed as Janis Sarkisian and Grey Henson as Damien, the outsiders as well as the narrators of the show, are divine, their working off each other is terrific. Naturally there is the jock, Kyle Selig as Aaron Samuels brings not only his good looks but sincerity to his role. Kerry Butler, a Broadway favorite playing multiple female adult roles (from a mom to a teacher), is her usual expert self and can still pass for a mean girl.

In conclusion, the show has bounce and verve, it’s joyful and has a healing message; it’s colorful and a delight. Skip the usual tedious musical revivals and go enjoy the fresh new musical Mean Girls and maybe you’ll see yourself on that stage and have a chuckle and ask yourself,  “Was I really like that?”

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 13, 2018
Reviewed at press performance on April 12, 2018

‘MEAN GIRLS’: Barrett Wilbert Weed & company. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘MEAN GIRLS’: (left to right) Ben Cook, Nikhil Saboo, Cheech Manohar, Erika Henningsen & Kerry Butler. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘MEAN GIRLS’: Taylor Louderman. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘MEAN GIRLS’: Grey Henson, Barrett Wilbert Weed & Erika Henningsen. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘MEAN GIRLS’: (left to right) Ashley Park, Taylor Louderman, Kate Rockwell & Erika Henningsen. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘MEAN GIRLS’: Kyle Selig & Erika Henningsen. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘MEAN GIRLS’: Barrett Wilbert Weed & Grey Henson. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘MEAN GIRLS’: Kerry Butler & Erika Henningsen. Photo: Joan Marcus

The post ‘Mean Girls’: Awesome adaptation of hit film appeared first on StageZine.

SHALL WE DANCE? Kelli O’Hara & Ken Watanabe in ‘The King and I.’ Photo: Paul Kolnik

THE KING AND I
Music by Richard Rodgers
Book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Based on the novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret London
Choreography by Christopher Gattelli
Based on the original choreography by Jerome Robbins
Directed by Bartlett Sher
Vivian Beaumont Theatre
150 West 65th Street
(212-239-6200), www.KingandIBroadway.com

By David NouNou

I’m not going to beat around the bush. The King and I is simply the best musical of the year. Each year in April, it has become customary for a crush of shows that open almost every night of the month and this year is no exception. What is an exception is the phenomenal revival that Lincoln Center is presenting and it is, by far, the best revival ever done of this classic 1951 musical. When most shows are being pared down to skimpy and tacky revivals, Lincoln Center and the formidable director Bartlett Sher have kept The King and I in its original sumptuous size and the result is simply breathtaking.

From the moment you enter the theater, Michael Yeargan’s magnificent Siamese set frame and curtain is in full view and already the mood is set for the magnificence and story to unfold. The same creative team and designers who did the outstanding 2008 revival of Rogers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific have outdone themselves here. As in South Pacific, there is the incomparable Kelli O’Hara as Anna Leonowens, giving an incandescent and what may be her best performance to date.

Going to Siam to teach the children of the King of Siam (Ken Watanabe) English, Anna gets exposed to a whole new way of life, culture, standards, rules and the role of women as slaves or concubines of the king. This is against anything she has known as an Englishwoman, widow and a mother of a young boy. At the palace, she gets to know the king and his demands, his wife, Lady Thiang (Ruthie Ann Miles), the Crown Prince Chulalongkorn (Jon Viktor Corpuz) and his 60-plus children as well as befriending the king’s latest present/slave from Burma, the lovely Tuptim (Ashley Park) and her lover, Lun Tha (Conrad Ricamora).

Intertwined with all these characters is the sumptuous score that actually propels the story forward; from the tuneful opening song of “I Whistle A Happy Tune” and “Getting to Know You” to the heartbreaking “Hello, Young Lovers” “We Kiss in a Shadow,” “Something Wonderful” and “I Have Dreamed” and to the heart-pounding rendition of “Shall We Dance,” each song is a story unto itself and each one is done to perfection.

I extolled Kelli O’Hara already; two more ladies are due their kudos: Ruthie Ann Miles nails Lady Thiang. As head wife of the king and future Queen Mother, Ms. Miles is flawless in her rendition of “Something Wonderful,” it is a showstopper; and Ashley Park as Tuptin is both lovely and vibrant. Ms. Park’s rendition of “The Small House of Uncle Thomas (Ballet)” is exhilarating.

I honestly wish I could end my review here, but how can one write a review about a show entitled The King and I and not mention the king? In South Pacific, Kelli O’Hara played against Paulo Szot who was outstanding and won the Tony as best actor as Emile de Becque. I’m afraid the same cannot be said here. Like the king in the show, Mr. Watanabe does try his best to be the best he can be, but his performance is a puzzlement. Who is to blame for it? On the surface, it seems that he just clenches his words so tightly, which render them totally incomprehensible. However, that is not the only problem. In trying not to do a carbon copy of Yul Brynner, the strength and the personality of the king become totally lost and he is no match for Anna. I wish more attention was paid to him to have improved the king’s diction and demeanor.

Despite this shortcoming, the show is still the best of the year, with the best score, best book from the days when they knew how to write one and tell a story, and the best creative team of sets, costumes, lighting, sound, musical direction and the crowning touch of Kelli O’Hara as the leading “I.”

ANNA & THE KING: Kelli O’Hara & Ken Watanabe. Photo: Paul Kolnik

GETTING TO KNOW YOU: The royal children with Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Paul Kolnik

GORGEOUS COSTUMES: Kelli O’Hara in one of Catherine Zuber’s exquisite costumes. Photo: Paul Kolnik

LADY THIANG, WOMEN OF THE COURT & ANNA: Ruthie Ann Miles & Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Paul Kolnik

THE KING OF SIAM: Ken Watanabe. Photo: Paul Kolnik

‘THE SMALL HOUSE OF UNCLE THOMAS’ (BALLET): Christopher Gattelli beautifully recreates Jerome Robbins’ original choreography. Photo: Paul Kolnik

‘THE SMALL HOUSE OF UNCLE THOMAS’ (BALLET): Another glorious scene. Photo: Paul Kolnik

PROPER ENGLISH EDUCATION: Kelli O’Hara with her royal pupils. Photo: Paul Kolnik

LADY THIANG & ANNA: Ruthie Ann Miles & Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Paul Kolnik

PERFORMANCE OF HER CAREER: Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Paul Kolnik

ANNA & THE KING: Kelli O’Hara, Ken Watanabe & the cast. Photo: Paul Kolnik

ANNA & SON: Jake Lucas & Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Paul Kolnik

ANNA MEETS BRITISH DIPLOMAT: (left to right) Ken Watanabe, Edward Baker-Duly & Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Paul Kolnik

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 20, 2015
Reviewed at press performance on April 19, 2015

The post ‘The King and I’: Revival of classic is the best ever appeared first on StageZine.