‘TWO STRANGERS’: Christiani Pitts & Sam Tutty. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

TWO STRANGERS (CARRY A CAKE ACROSS NEW YORK)
Book, music & lyrics by Jim Barne & Kit Buchan
Directed & choreographed by Tim Jackson
Through July 5, 2026
Longacre Theatre
220 West 48th Street
https://twostrangersmusical.com/

By Scott Harrah

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York ) is a rare gem indeed. It’s an original “rom com” Broadway musical that’s realistic, poignant, and never sappy or corny. After a successful run in London’s West End, the two-hander has opened in New York. Let’s look at why it works so well.

Unlikely match

The entire story takes place over a 36-hour time period. Dougal (Sam Tutty) is a bright-eyed, naïve British tourist who has traveled to New York and the USA for the first time to attend his father’s second wedding.

He soon learns that life here is nothing like the Hollywood depiction of our city as portrayed by Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds in Singin’ in the Rain. By the same token, it’s also not exactly Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra pursuing Vera-Ellen and Betty Garrett in On the Town. Dougal says he especially loves Home Alone 2 and believes that in New York “everything comes with a smile, a high five, and a slice of cheese.”

However, even if New York was actually like anything in those classic films, Dougal is so broke that he can’t afford the entrance fees to most tourist attractions, let alone a proper date with a woman.

Robin (Christiani Pitts) is the baby sister of the bride Dougal’s father is marrying. A spunky, no-nonsense New Yorker, she works as a barista and wastes no time giving the cold shoulder to Dougal both at JFK Airport and later at Bump and Grind, the café where she works.  She tells him she needs to take the subway out to Flatbush, Brooklyn, to pick up her sister’s wedding cake, and Dougal insists on going with her.

Carrying the cake across New York

Dougal soon learns that Flatbush isn’t just where the wedding cake is being created. It’s also the part of Brooklyn where Robin grew up, reminiscing to him about her childhood there and regaling him with nostalgic stories of her youth.

What makes everything work is the dynamic chemistry between Mr. Tutty and Ms. Pitts. On the stage, they seem like an odd couple indeed, but sparks ignite slowly and not in a hackneyed way like so many rom-coms.

Nevertheless, although Two Strangers has all the formulaic elements of a standard romantic comedy—a guy pursuing a girl and the girl isn’t immediately interested—this show isn’t like some half-baked Hallmark movie or schmaltzy Harlequin romance novel. Composer Jim Barne’s lush melodies and Kit Buchan’s true-to-life dialogue and emotionally powerful lyrics are full of realism and grit. One may have to suspend disbelief that Dougal and Robin would fall for each other in just 36 hours, but just go with the story. Everything simply works beautifully.

Innovative scenic, sound design & lighting

Soutra Gilmour’s unique, simplistic set, great lighting by Jack Knowles, and Tony Gayle’s sharp sound design also make Two Strangers especially innovative. The set features two rotating heaps of airline luggage that are designed to resemble the Manhattan skyline. The luggage piles also serve multiple functions, including a place for the actors to climb on or sit.

Ms. Gilmour’s costumes are also delightful, especially the glamorous dresses Robin wears in Act Two.

Dynamic duo

Turning to performances, the two young leads are perhaps the show’s greatest asset. Together, Ms. Pitts and Mr. Tutty are a brilliant “misfit” couple, as unlikely as Satine and Christian in Moulin Rouge or Sandy and Danny in Grease. Ms. Pitts portrays Robin with the perfect arc of the character, starting out as a jaded, overworked, and cynical woman who eventually sheds her hard shell and opens up to Dougal. Mr. Tutty brings the right mix of guileless charm and sincerity to Dougal, a young lad who at first seems annoying but ultimately shows he has a big heart. The duo are pure magic together singing such songs as “On the App” and “New York/What’ll It Be.”

With seamless direction by Tim Jackson, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) shines throughout. The haunting score and strong book by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan help make the show a “sleeper” surprise delight and one of the year’s best musicals.

Published November 20, 2025
Reviewed at press preview on November 15, 2025

‘TWO STRANGERS’: Christiani Pitts & Sam Tutty. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘TWO STRANGERS’: Christiani Pitts & Sam Tutty. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘TWO STRANGERS’: Christiani Pitts & Sam Tutty. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘TWO STRANGERS’: Christiani Pitts & Sam Tutty (top left & bottom); (top right) Sam Tutty. Photos: Matthew Murphy.

‘TWO STRANGERS’: Sam Tutty & Christiani Pitts (top left & bottom); (top right) Christiani Pitts. Photos: Matthew Murphy.

The post ‘Two Strangers’ one of 2025’s best musicals appeared first on StageZine.

‘PUNCH’: (left to right) Sam Robards, Victoria Clark, Camilla Canó-Flaviá & Will Harrison. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

PUNCH
By James Graham
Based on the book Right from Wrong by Jacob Dunne
Directed by Adam Penford
Through November 2, 2025
Manhattan Theatre Club
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
261 West 47^th Street
https://www.manhattantheatreclub.com/shows/2025-26-season/punch/

By Scott Harrah

Punch is an intense drama based on the true story of Jacob Dunne (Will Harrison), a British man who killed another with one single punch. The play is also based on Mr. Dunne’s autobiographical book Right from Wrong, telling how a moment of violence in a small English town changed his life forever.

The crime

The play opens as Jacob, a 19-year-old working-class guy, stands on a bridge over the River Trent in Nottingham, U.K. Jacob lives for drugs, parties and violence. He gets into a fight with James Hodgkinson, a 28-year-old trainee paramedic. The audience never actually sees the victim. A single punch kills James, and Jacob’s world is immediately shattered.

After a trial, Jacob is convicted of manslaughter and goes to prison. In a strange twist, he is offered a chance to participate in a “restorative justice” program. He is asked to meet with James Hodgkinson’s parents, Joan (Victoria Clark) and David (Sam Robards). This is an attempt to give Jacob a sense of mercy and rehabilitation while helping the victim’s parents heal emotionally.

Restorative justice

The second act chronicles Jacob’s journey through the restorative justice program. He first starts writing letters to the victim’s parents and eventually has an in-person meeting with them. With the help of caseworker Nicola (Camila Canó-Flaviá), Jacob must come to terms with the gravity and scale of his crime. In the process, Joan and David learn more about the details of the night their son was killed, allowing them to move past the trauma and have a sense of closure.

Does the message work for U.S. audiences?

Considering that Punch is a British play, the idea of restorative justice might work across the pond. However, in 2025 America, the concept on the surface seems too idealistic in our divided nation, one in which mass school shootings and political violence are so common that many feel inured by the news about them. Or could the concept work here? Many believe in reform for the criminal justice system in the U.S. due to a high incarceration rate, overcrowded jails and the need for decriminalization of misdemeanors. So, restorative justice is a concept that has both pros and cons, depending on one’s political views.

Razor-sharp direction of fine ensemble

Director Adam Penford does an outstanding job directing the fine ensemble. With unique staging—including a metal bridge—and great sound design, this production conveys the requisite sense of violence and danger in this dark setting.

Will Harrison as Jacob is consistently brilliant. He is the narrator, tortured protagonist and vulnerable all at once, and has the unique ability to make us feel true empathy for a not-so-likeable character.

Equally noteworthy is Victoria Clark as Joan, the victim’s mother. She never comes across as mawkish or saccharine, and conveys a true sense of wanting to forgive the man who killed her son. Sam Robards is also sublime as the husband and grieving father, frustrated by the whole bleak situation.

The ensemble cast members often take on multiple roles, and do so with deft precision.

Punch is an incisive drama packed with emotion and a sobering, thought-provoking message about crime, punishment and the criminal justice system in both the U.K. and USA.

Published October 9, 2025
Reviewed at press performance on October 4, 2025

‘PUNCH’: Cody Kostro & Will Harrison. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘PUNCH’: Victoria Clark and Sam Robards. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘PUNCH’: James Harrison. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

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‘THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY’: Sarah Snook. Photo: Marc Brenner.

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY
By Oscar Wilde
New adaptation written & directed by Kip Williams
Through June 29, 2025
The Music Box
239 West 45^th Street
https://doriangrayplay.com/

By Scott Harrah

Kip Williams and Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning actress Sarah Snook (HBO’s “Succession”) have put a glorious new spin on the Oscar Wilde classic The Picture of Dorian Gray. Wondering what the future of live theater may look like in the coming years? This production—with its heavy use of video projections, video and audio recordings interspersed with live performance—might offer clues. In the age of AI, smaller cast sizes, shrinking budgets and hefty ticket prices (and the currently precarious global economy), we might see more shows like this. That’s not necessarily a bad thing if one is willing to embrace technology.

Ms. Snook won an Olivier for the role when the show played in London at the Theatre Royal Haymarket last year. She portrays 26 different characters, including Lord Henry Wotton, actress Sibyl Vane, artist Basil Hallward, and others. She is often interacting with pre-recorded versions of herself on the projected screens.

Fans of Mr. Wilde’s controversial 1891 novel expecting a purist adaptation of the story will be disappointed. However, this production is geared primarily for younger audiences, or anyone who enjoys theater with a high-tech edge.

Dorian Gray for the uninitiated

Oscar Wilde’s gothic horror story focuses on Dorian Gray, a handsome young guy who is adored by painter Basil Hallward, and wealthy patron Lord Henry Wotton. Lord Wotton is a manipulative aristocrat and a hedonist. He has a huge influence on Dorian, and not in a good way.  Basil is obsessed with Dorian’s beauty.

Dorian wishes that he can stay eternal youthful and handsome. Consequently, he gets his wish. The painting soon ages while Dorian himself does not.

Volumes have been written over the years about Mr. Wilde’s novel. Scholars have called it everything from homoerotic to misogynist.  Much of the supposed sexual content was censored in Victorian times.

Williams’ new twist on Wilde

Director Kip Williams’ new twist on the classic tale of narcissism and moral depravity relies heavily on the video projections and prerecorded material. As in any one-person show, keeping track of all the characters is challenging, particularly for those who have never read the book.

David Bergman’s video design and Nick Schlieper’s lighting design make much clever use of the material. Dorian has lots of fun with some Instagram and Snapchat-style video filters, but the visual joke wears thin eventually.

One-woman tour de force

Sarah Snook has a blast entertaining us with the 26 different characters. The show is not everyone’s idea of how Oscar Wilde imagined the story. However, this production, originally performed in Australia with a different actor, is not trying to be a straightforward stage adaptation of the book. Instead, it’s a vehicle for a talented entertainer.

Ms. Snook is a one-woman tour de force. Her ability to switch accents, genders and tone is impressive indeed. She is manic, full of energy, and is consistently riveting. If one overlooks the absence of the real Dorian Gray that Oscar Wilde wrote about, it’s possible to enjoy the show simply as a showcase for Sarah Snook’s gifts. Broadway’s The Picture of Dorian Gray may not win over classical literature fans. Regardless, it could bring in new audiences that otherwise might not be interested in live theater.

Published April 7, 2025
Reviewed at press performance on March 28, 2025

‘THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY’: Sarah Snook. Photo: Marc Brenner.

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY’: Sarah Snook. Photo: Marc Brenner.

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY’: Sarah Snook. Photo: Marc Brenner.

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY’: Sarah Snook. Photo: Marc Brenner.

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‘TAMMY FAYE’: Katie Brayben & Christian Borle as Jim & Tammy Bakker. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

TAMMY FAYE
Music by Elton John
Lyrics by Jake Shears
Book by James Graham
Directed by Rupert Goold
Through December 8, 2024
Palace Theatre
160 West 47^th St.
https://tammyfayebway.com/

By Scott Harrah

Tammy Faye has opened on Broadway after an Olivier Award-winning run at the Almeida Theatre in London. The Brits love any show that pokes fun at American excess, but their “Yanks are so bloody foolish” sensibilities do not always translate well when productions cross the pond. Case in point: Remember the 2010 play Enron? Based on the Enron scandal, the show (also directed by Rupert Goold) was a sensation in London but totally flopped in New York. It was slammed by critics here, snubbed by the Tony Awards and closed after a month. Alas, Tammy Faye has suffered a similar fate because the show is closing early on December 8, 2024, after opening on November 14.

Perplexing book

Anyone unfamiliar with Tammy might want to watch the 2021 film The Eyes of Tammy Faye (Jessica Chastain won an Oscar for portraying the troubled televangelist) to learn more about her backstory. Or, better yet, look up her many videos on YouTube from her “PTL Club” TV shows back in the 1980s. Why? Although this musical—with music by Elton John and lyrics by Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters—has some fun moments, James Graham’s book is often confusing. As a result, the show might be perplexing for anyone who was too young to remember the Jim and Tammy era.

The story includes a scene showing Tammy interviewing an AIDS patient, Steve Pieters (Charl Brown) on PTL and urging Christians to love AIDS patients and gay men in particular. This was shocking indeed in the 1980s, a time when many Christian fundamentalists claimed AIDS was “God’s wrath” on gays and other outcasts. However, there was much more to the woman than her support for people with AIDS.

The glory days of Jim & Tammy

I have fond memories of watching Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker on “The PTL Club” back in the ’80s when I was in high school. I’d watch “The PTL [Praise the Lord] Club” on TV with my big brother and laugh hysterically at Jim and Tammy Faye because they were both so hokey and unintentionally funny. Tammy Faye, with her outrageous clothes, surreal clown-like makeup, squeaky voice and an ability to cry on cue, was especially amusing.

Fast forward to 1987. The Bakkers became a media sensation when allegations of fraud, an extramarital affair between Jim Bakker and church secretary Jessica Hahn (Alana Pollard) covered up by “hush money” became tabloid fodder. In addition, reports alleged that donations were spent on the Bakkers’ lavish lifestyle (such as an air-conditioned dog house for their pet pooch) and other outrageous unethical wrongdoings. As a result, this caused the PTL empire to collapse. The Reverend Jerry Falwell (Michael Cerveris) offered to “temporarily” take control of PTL and then, surprise, turned on Jim and Tammy.

For anyone who knows the whole Jim and Tammy saga well, Tammy Faye just doesn’t feel genuine. Why? The story of PTL was always convoluted, with so many characters, and truly explaining their rise and fall cannot be done via musical theater.

Katie Brayben & Christian Boyle

Some cast members do their best to bring the scandalous Bakkers to life. The gifted Katie Brayben plays Tammy  with a lot of heart and soul, and exudes all the charm of the real-life woman she portrays. Ms. Brayben has an amazing voice, far better than Tammy herself did. Christian Borle is equally powerful as Jim, the lovable milquetoast. Together, Jim and Tammy Bakker were unlike any of the televangelists of the era because they promoted love instead of fear. “God loves you; He really does!” was their famous catchphrase, and this feel-good sentimentality made PTL viewers reach deep into their pockets. Yes, the Bakkers were delightful to watch, but they were still charlatans.

The story opens with Tammy at a doctor’s office, learning that she has colon cancer. Tammy Faye makes tasteless jokes about why she chose a gay doctor (Max Gordon Moore), and this sets the questionable tone for the entire show. James Graham’s scattershot book walks a fine line between camp and drama but somehow fails at both. For anyone who knows the whole Jim and Tammy Faye saga well, Tammy Faye lacks authenticity. This musical does not portray her accurately or do her justice, and that is a shame because it was created by some of the entertainment world’s biggest stars.

Too tasteful?

Part of the problem is the way Tammy Faye is presented. She was bigger than life and famous for multiple coats of heavy makeup and spider-like false eyelashes. However, in Tammy Faye her face is too tastefully made up. She was almost a cartoon character but, in this musical, she has had a “make down.” Not to be petty, but she never wore wigs as bad as the ones in this show. She had much better “bad taste” than what is portrayed here. Tammy Faye died in 2007 and was a lovable eccentric, but here, her character as written by James Graham, comes across as sanitized and dull.

Shallow score

Elton John and Jake Shears are both masters of pop music from different generations, but it is perplexing why they chose to make a musical about Tammy. Songs like “He’s Inside Me” (yes, there’s actually a bad double entendre in that title) and “If You Came to See Me Cry” say nothing about the late woman or offer any insight we didn’t already know, and they really do not propel the story forward.

Evangelical Christians probably just want to forget about Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. The gay male Tammy Faye fans who actually remember her have moved on to other divas. Those were Tammy’s two fan bases, so who does that leave now?

Michael Cerveris does a good job playing the villain Jerry Falwell, and Mark Evans is quite effective portraying everyone from Billy Graham to Hustler publisher Larry Flynt. However, all the great acting onstage is sabotaged by the flimsy book and Rupert Goold’s shoddy direction.

A ‘hot mess’

Yes, Tammy was hilarious and a “hot mess,” and her story is indeed tragic, but there is nothing Shakespearean or operatic about her life. Still, for all the Tammy fans out there who loved her larger-than-life persona, her tarantula-like eyelashes and goofy spirit—heaven knows that she deserved a better musical tribute than this.

Published November 20, 2024
Reviewed at press performance on November 17, 2024

‘TAMMY FAYE’: Katie Brayben & Christian Borle. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘TAMMY FAYE’: Katie Brayben. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘TAMMY FAYE’: The cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘TAMMY FAYE’: The cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘TAMMY FAYE’: Michael Cerveris & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

The post ‘Tammy Faye’ musical fails to do her justice appeared first on StageZine.

‘SUNSET BLVD.: Nicole Scherzinger. Photo: Marc Brenner.

SUNSET BLVD.
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton
Based on the Billy Wilder movie Sunset Boulevard

Directed by Jamie Lloyd
St. James Theatre

246 W. 44^th Street
https://sunsetblvdbroadway.com/

By Scott Harrah

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard is a blend of illusion and reality. In previous productions, it featured a lavish, opulent set and costumes. Director Jamie Lloyd has totally reimagined and reworked the musical into a Sunset Blvd. (complete with an abbreviated title) for a new generation.

This production features projections instead of sets, all-black costumes and haze that may remind one of the smog on a Los Angeles freeway. It received seven Olivier Awards in London, including one for Best Musical.

A revolutionary reboot

In this revolutionary reboot of the classic musical, one must suspend reality and work on the illusion. The illusion is former Pussycat Dolls pop singer Nicole Scherzinger giving a younger, darker interpretation of the neurotic narcissist Norma Desmond. Understandably, Norma Desmond’s age has been changed from 50 to 40 since Ms. Scherzinger is in her 40s. One forgets about past revivals of the show because Ms. Scherzinger’s stage presence is so imposing, and her voice so soaring and ethereal that it’s almost operatic. She has the audience spellbound from the first moment she enters the stage.  The original version was a brilliant adaptation of Billy Wilder’s magnificent screen version of the same name. It was directed by Trevor Nunn and the set by John Napier was truly one of the greatest and most memorable sets of all time. They anchored the show and gave it splendor and meaning.

However, Mr. Lloyd’s version still has lots of meaning but a different type of splendor and no lavish sets. The plot centers on the same premise as the 1950 classic film Sunset Boulevard: Norma, a faded 1920s screen star of yesteryear who hasn’t worked in years, falling for a younger, broke screenwriter, Joe Gillis (Tom Francis). All the main characters from the Billy Wilder movie are here, from ambitious fellow screenwriter Betty Schaefer (Grace Hodgett Young) to the mysterious Max Von Mayerling (David Thaxton), Norma’s loyal and creepy servant.

A stylized Sunset Blvd.

This production lacks the grandeur of the original; it instead aims instead for a stylized approach. Here, we have people running around with handheld cameras—and that is not exactly original as this technique has been used on Broadway in recent years by other European directors. However, in a revival of musical adaptation of a classic Hollywood film, it somehow works here.  A screen is suspended above the stage, used as a backdrop on which to project close-ups of Norma and Joe. Credits are seen scrolling both at the beginning and end of the show, like one is watching an old black and white film noir on late-night TV. Video designs and cinematography by Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom, lighting design by Jack Knowles and sound design by Adam Fisher all help to create this ambience.

Mr. Francis, as Joe, sings the titular song “Sunset Boulevard” on camera, off stage, as we see a projection of him walking through the Broadway theatre district outside. He finally enters the stage of the St. James. Norma stands there eerily, waiting for him.

Purists may quibble that, without the garish costumes and ornate sets of previous productions, this Sunset Blvd. has none of the glamour necessary to evoke the time period and truth of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s score and the original book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. However, everything about Jamie Lloyd’s twist on both the visual exposition and narrative of the musical is fresh and innovative, and that is truly rare in normally gimmicky “modern” revivals of classic Broadway. Fortunately, most of the cast are exceptionally good.

Outstanding cast

Nicole Scherzinger’s Norma is snarkier and more quick-witted than the vulnerable Norma Desmond many are accustomed to, and she has brilliant timing when reciting such iconic lines as “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small,” and “We didn’t need dialogue. We had faces!” When Ms. Scherzinger belts out any of the show’s songs, her vibrato is stratospheric. Her vocals are magical and truly unforgettable.

Equally important, Mr. Francis as Joe also has a powerful voice, as does David Thaxton as Max Von Mayerling. Both actors give first-rate performances. In addition, Grace Hodgett Young is also superb as Betty Schaefer, the upbeat screenwriter with romantic designs on Joe.

In conclusion, Jamie Lloyd’s avant-garde spin on Sunset Blvd. is so provocative, outrageous and stripped bare of everything that many will either hate it or love it. At the performance this reviewer attended, the audience was definitely loving the show, judging from the thunderous applause after each song. One thing is certain: This unconventional Sunset Blvd. is a must-see phenomenon.

Published October 28, 2024
Reviewed at October 24, 2024 press performance

SUNSET BLVD.’: Tom Francis & Nicole Scherzinger. Photo: Marc Brenner.

‘SUNSET BLVD.’: Nicole Scherzinger & Hannah Yun Chamberlain. Photo: Marc Brenner.

‘SUNSET BLVD.’: Nicole Scherzinger. Photo: Marc Brenner.

‘SUNSET BLVD.’: Tom Francis (center) & cast. Photo: Marc Brenner.

‘SUNSET BLVD.’: Grace Hodgett Young. Photo: Marc Brenner.

‘SUNSET BLVD.’: The cast. Photo: Marc Brenner.

‘SUNSET BLVD.’: (projected onto the screen left to right): Nicole Scherzinger, Hannah Yun Chamberlain & Tom Francis (seated). Photo: Marc Brenner.

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‘THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA’: (left to right) Nancy Allsop, Nicola Turner, Sophia Ally & Lara McDonnell. Photo: Joan Marcus.

THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA
A new play by Jez Butterworth
Directed by Sam Mendes
Through December 22, 2024
Broadhurst Theatre
235 West 44^th Street
https://thehillsofcalifornia.com/

By Scott Harrah

British playwright Jez Butterworth has written stage sagas about England (Jerusalem) and Ireland (The Ferryman) and now he takes on America via the elusive dreams of a widow and single mother, Veronica Webb (Laura Donnelly). She hopes to turn her four daughters in Blackpool, UK into singing stars across the Atlantic in the poignant epic The Hills of California.

America is a running theme in The Hills of California. Veronica owns a struggling hotel in Blackpool called Sea View (although it has no view of the sea) and the rooms are named after U.S. states like Mississippi. The story is told in both the past and present, depicting two eras: 1976, during a summer heatwave, when three of the Webb sisters have gathered at their childhood home as their mother lies dying of cancer upstairs; and 1955, when Veronica is trying desperately to book her daughters as a singing quartet styled after the Andrews Sisters.

Most of the story, however, is told through the eyes of the sisters. Jill (Helena Wilson) is the only one who is not married and still lives at home. Her sisters include Gloria (Leanne Best) and Ruby (Ophelia Lovibond). They are waiting for their sister Joan (incredibly played by Laura Donnelly in a dual role)—the only one to move away from England—to arrive on a flight from California. The siblings are concerned about their mother on her deathbed, and anxious about whether Joan will even show up. Joan has been estranged from the family for more than 20 years.

Back in 1955, Veronica insists on getting her daughters to polish up their sister act. However, after a visit from Luther St. John (David Wilson Barnes), a Hollywood agent, Veronica and her daughters learn that Americans have moved on from the Andrews Sisters. The girls perform such oldies as “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and “Straighten Up and Fly Right.” The play’s title is derived from “The Hills of California,” an old B side by Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers, a song the Webb sisters sing as an ode to the Golden State.

Fast-forward to 1976. Jill is a long-suffering spinster who is devoted to her dying mother.  Gloria is in an often-volatile marriage to her husband and has two kids, while Ruby, despite a great singing voice, never pursued show business, is emotionally fragile and plagued with anxiety.

Sister Joan finally arrives from America in a wave of cigarette smoke and hippie glamour. She now speaks in an American twang and seems like an outsider in her childhood home. She recorded an album in the States shortly after she moved across the Atlantic, but soon spiraled into a life of substance abuse. The true fireworks in the show truly explode toward the end of the nearly three-hour drama. The chemistry amongst the four sisters is amazing, and one really feels all the pathos and grief they are all experiencing about the impending death of their mother.

Director Sam Mendes extracts outstanding performances from the gifted ensemble. The Hills of California is a story of women in crisis and the family ties of sisters united in grief. The performances of Ms. Wilson as Jill, Ms. Best as Gloria, Ms. Lovibond as Ruby and Ms. Donnelly as both Veronica and Joan are consistently moving and packed with emotion. David Wilson Barnes is fittingly direct and menacing as American show-business agent Luther St. John.

The actresses playing the younger versions of the sisters, Nicola Turner as “Young Jill,” Nancy Allsop as “Young Gloria,” Sophia Ally as “Young Ruby” and Lara McDonnell as “Young Joan” are all first rate. These young women truly flesh out the sad backstory of the Webb sisters in the 1950s with sincerity and a sense of wistfulness.

Unless one is familiar with British regional dialects, the show can be challenging at times, especially in the beginning when the characters speak in rapid-fire Lancashire accents. It is hard to say whether the issue might possibly be resolved with tweaking the actors’ microphones but fortunately one gets used to the dialect as the story progresses.

The Hills of California is a challenging drama, but one ultimately worth the long running time. It is one of Jez Butterworth’s best plays yet. It is as complex as The Ferryman but more simplistic than Jerusalem, and is ultimately a timeless tale of grief and the ups and downs a family experiences throughout the years.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 14, 2024
Reviewed at October 8, 2024 press performance

‘THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA’: (left to right): Lara McDonnell, Laura Donnelly & Sophia Ally. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA’:(left to right) Helena Wilson, Laura Donnelly & Ophelia Lovibond. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA’: (left to right) Lara McDonnell, Nancy Allsop & Sophia Ally. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA’: Laura Donnelly. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA’: Helena Wilson & Ophelia Lovibond. Photo: Joan Marcus.

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‘PRIMA FACIE’: Jodie Comer. Photo: Bronwen Sharp.

PRIMA FACIE
Written by Suzie Miller
Directed by Justin Martin
Through July 2, 2023
John Golden Theatre
252 West 45th Street

(212-239-6200), www.PrimaFacieplay.com

By David NouNou

To fully appreciate the play Prima Facie, one must understand the definition. The legal term prima facie “refers to a case in which pre-trial evidence was reviewed by a judge and determined to be sufficient to warrant the trial.”

Tessa (Jodie Comer) is a criminal defense barrister in the U.K, or “lawyer” as we say in the U.S. From the beginning, she describes in detail the thrill she gets when prosecuting a case and how she meticulously outlines the extraction of truths from a defendant and entraps them. She goes back to her early days in law school where she was one of 200 students in this elite class and being informed by the professor “look to your left, look to your right, one of you will not make it till the end.” Now, we get a fuller picture of who Tessa is and the determination and the love she has for the law.

She takes a case prosecuting a female rape victim, and with the loopholes in the legal system, she victimizes the woman in the case. She gets involved with a fellow barrister—the date they go on, the excessive drinking, and then inviting him back to her apartment, and what ensues. In the aftermath, she goes to report it to the police. After the incident, she finds herself in a position where the tables have reversed on her where she is the victim that is being prosecuted. She now feels the agony and shame of victimization and how the law is structured.

Being a solo play, the show rests on Jodie Comer. The performance is a revelation. She peels off layer after layer, whether in her triumphant moments or in her deepest despair. She never goes after our sympathy. She is a headstrong woman and proud of her accomplishments as a barrister. She doesn’t ask for pity but to right the wrongs in the law. Only an accomplished actress of infinite dimension can accomplish this feat, and Jodie Comer is that actress.

The main problem I had with the play is the direction of Justin Martin. There are so many sound effects from the beginning—with beating hearts to loud music—all of which are more of a distraction and jarring than complementing the play or Ms. Comer’s performance. When dealing with a serious subject of rape, less “noise” would have made sensitive moments more compelling and less distracting.

We have seen so many of these cases in America; this could be in any part of the world. The play isn’t just about rape victims and the horrors they endure. It is also about the unjust criminal law system and the reforming the system needs; to have women be heard and not allowing men to go free due to the loopholes in the law.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 27, 2023
Reviewed at April 26, 2023 press performance.

‘PRIMA FACIE’: Jodie Comer. Photo: Bronwen Sharp.

‘PRIMA FACIE’: Jodie Comer. Photo: Bronwen Sharp.

‘PRIMA FACIE’: Jodie Comer. Photo: Bronwen Sharp.

The post ‘Prima Facie’: Jodie Comer is a revelation appeared first on StageZine.

‘PETER PAN GOES WRONG’: (Left to right) Ellie Morris, Jonathan Sayer, Charlie Russell, Henry Shields, Henry Lewis & Matthew Cavendish. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

PETER PAN GOES WRONG
Based on J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan
Written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer & Henry Shields
Directed by Adam Meggido
Through July 23, 2023

Ethel Barrymore Theatre
243 West 47th Street
(212-239-6200), https://pangoeswrongbway.com/

By David NouNou

If you are into hyper-energetic physical comedy and relentlessness, then Peter Pan Goes Wrong is your ticket. Whether it is The Play That Goes Wrong or Peter Pan Goes Wrong, it is basically the same show, the same authors and the same leading men consisting of Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields of the London-based Mischief Theatre. However, only the titles are different.

What’s different about this show is it is loosely based on J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan and has the distinction of having Neil Patrick Harris as the narrator and playing other bit parts to the delight of the audience. His every entrance and exit elicited applause and that is the better part of the show.

You have to be prepared to in some way be a part of the show. The actors, doubling as stagehands as the audience enters the theatre, mill through the masses, setting up wires and doing bits to prepare the audience for the theatrical pandemonium that ensues. The audience at my performance was more than eager to participate in the interactive shenanigans and then the play began.

The play, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, takes place in some regional/community British theatre, and as the title aptly suggests everything, everywhere all at once goes wrong. From Nana, the dog getting stuck in a trap door to Peter Pan flying upside down to cast members being electrocuted, doors slamming into faces, getting planked in the crotch, and there is a glorious revolving stage. Mayhem, pratfalls and chaos ensue in each scene at a nonstop pace. The audience is encouraged to hiss and boo at some of the characters, and there is no end to that, but suffice it to say the audience is enthralled with all this madness. This comedy genre is enormously popular in the United Kingdom, and obviously has many fans on this side of the Atlantic, too.

Believe it or not, the clever and interesting set design by Simon Scullion is the highlight of the show. After a while and by the second act, all the characters blend into each other and they become indistinguishable from one another, with the exception of Neil Patrick Harris, because he is Neil Patrick Harris—and we are grateful for that.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 21, 2023
Reviewed at April 20, 2023 press performance.

‘PETER PAN GOES WRONG’: Henry Lewis, Neil Patrick Harris & Henry Shields. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘PETER PAN GOES WRONG’: (Left to right) Harry Kershaw, Chris Leask, Henry Shields, Nancy Zamit, and Greg Tannahill & back (left to right) Charlie Russell & Henry Lewis.

‘PETER PAN GOES WRONG’: Neil Patrick Harris. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘PETER PAN GOES WRONG’: Matthew Cavendish (front) with (left to right) Harry Kershaw, Charlie Russell, Greg Tannahill, Henry Shields, Jonathan Sayer & Henry Lewis. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘PETER PAN GOES WRONG’: (Left to right) Ellie Morris, Chris Leask & Bianca Horn. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘PETER PAN GOES WRONG’: Nancy Zamit. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘PETER PAN GOES WRONG’: Henry Lewis & Jonathan Sayer. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘PETER PAN GOES WRONG’: Nancy Zamit & Greg Tannahill. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

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LONDON— On Sunday, April 2, 2023 at the Royal Albert Hall, the West End production of Prima Facie won 2023 Olivier Awards for Best New Play and Best Actress for star Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”).

This month, Comer makes her Broadway debut in the solo play by Suzie Miller under the direction of Justin Martin (The Jungle). Previews for Prima Facie begin on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at the Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street). Opening night is Sunday, April 23, 2023. The production will play a limited 10-week engagement through Sunday, June 18, 2023. Tickets are available at Telecharge.com.

‘PRIMA FACIE’: Olivier Award winner Jodie Comer in the new drama starting Broadway previews on April 11, 2021. Photo: © Helen Murray.

For her performance in Prima Facie, which marked her West End debut, Comer also won the Evening Standard Award for Best Actress, the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Performer in a Play, the West End Debut Award from The Stage, and the BroadwayWorld UK/West End Award for Best Newcomer.

Playwright Suzie Miller also won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Play.

Tessa (Comer) is a thoroughbred. A young, brilliant barrister. She has worked her way up from working class origins to be at the top of her game; defending; cross examining and winning, until an unexpected event forces her to confront the lines where the patriarchal power of the law, burden of proof and morals diverge.

Prima Facie will work with The Schools Consent Project, a UK-based charity founded by Kate Parker that educates young people on issues surrounding consent and sexual assault. In addition to fundraising and donations, the production will work with the charity and various school groups to foster further understanding and education and extend the organization’s outreach in US schools.

Prima Facie will also work with Everyone’s Invited, a digital safe place for survivors to share their stories completely anonymously. Founded by Soma Sara, Everyone’s Invited provides many survivors a sense of relief, catharsis, empowerment, and gives them a feeling of community and hope.

The producers of Prima Facie recently announced that 10 tickets will be made available for $10 each at every performance via a weekly digital lottery. The $10 price point is inclusive of all fees. Beginning April 5, 2023, tickets priced at $10 for the following week’s performances will be released every Wednesday. For an opportunity to purchase a pair of seats at $10 each and to receive a weekly reminder to join the lottery, register via the Prima Facie website at primafacieplay.com/ticket-lottery

Jodie Comer won a 2019 Primetime Emmy Award for her mesmerizing performance as the psychopathic Russian assassin Villanelle in the BBC spy series, “Killing Eve.” She has also received two British Academy Television Awards for “Killing Eve” and “Help.” Her credits include the films The Last Duel and Free Guy, and the TV series, “Thirteen,” “The White Princess,” and “Doctor Foster: A Woman Scorned.” Upcoming roles include the films The End We Start From and The Bikeriders.

Jodie Comer shows off her Olivier Award for Best Actress at the Oliver Awards in London on April 2, 2023. Photo: Pamela Raith Photography.

Anglo-Australian playwright Suzie Miller is a former human rights and children’s rights lawyer. Prima Facie originally premiered in 2019 in Sydney where it won the 2020 Australian Writers’ Guild Award for Drama, the 2020 David Williamson Award for Outstanding Theatre Writing, and the 2020 prestigious Major Australian Writers’ Guild Award across all categories of theatre, film, and television.

Director Justin Martin is best known for his staging of The Jungle, which has played at the Young Vic, the West End, St. Ann’s Warehouse in New York, and in San Francisco. Other credits include Low Level Panic, Last Chance: A Plea For the Unaccompanied Children of Calais, The Nether, Fifty Two, Good Chance/No Chance, Harvey and Frieda, Street, The Kitchen and Skintight.

Prima Facie features an original score by Rebecca Lucy Taylor, who is better known as Self Esteem, and who completed her debut US Tour earlier this year for her new album, Prioritise Pleasure. She will embark on a UK tour in 2023, before returning to the US for a show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on April 12, 2023. Her soundtrack album for Prima Facie is available on digital streaming services.

Dani Arlington, who understudied the role of Tessa for the West End production, will be the understudy for the Broadway engagement.

Set and costume design is by two-time Tony Award nominee Miriam Buether. Lighting design is by Drama Desk nominee Natasha Chivers. Sound design is by Drama Desk Award winners Ben & Max Ringham. Video is by William Williams for Treatment Studio.

Production Stage Manager is Diane DiVita. Assistant Stage Manager is Georgia Bird. Marketing is by Liz Furze for AKA. Production Management is by Liza Luxenberg for Aurora Productions. General management is by 101 Productions Ltd. Company manager is Katie Andrews. Associate Producer is Kerrise Stewart.

Jodie Comer, Dani Arlington and Georgia Bird are engaged with the support of Actors’ Equity Association.

Prima Facie is produced by Empire Street Productions, Elizabeth Armstrong, Barbara Broccoli, Caiola Productions, Kristin Caskey, Echo Lake Entertainment, Eilene Davidson Productions, Eleanor Lloyd Productions, Faliro House, FilmNation Entertainment, Dale Franzen, L.T.D. Productions Inc., Holly Anderson Levow, Stephanie P. McClelland, Olympus Theatricals, Rachel Sussman and The Shubert Organization.

Trigger Warning: As much as we don’t want to give away any spoilers, we recognize that this play can cause distress or trigger challenging emotions for some audience members. Prima Facie includes sensitive subject matters including reference to sex, violence, and sexual assault. For more details and resources, visit primafacieplay.com.

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‘LIFE OF PI’: Hiran Abeysekera & Richard Parker (Fred Davis, Scarlet Wilderink, Andrew Wilson). Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.

LIFE OF PI
Based on the novel by Yann Martel
Adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti
Directed by Max Webster
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
236 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), www.lifeofpibway.com

By David NouNou

Life of Pi is an epic in every sense of the word and for regular theatregoers, will be a reminder of War Horse due to its puppet wizardry courtesy of Finn Caldwell and Nick Barnes. They are so masterfully crafted and come to life so vividly that we are actually invested in each and every one of them.

Starting in 1978 with Pi (Hiran Abeysekera), under his bed in an antiseptic hospital room in Mexico, he’s being questioned by Lulu Chen (Celia Mei Rubin), a Canadian government figure and Mr. Okamoto (Daisuke Tsuji), a Japanese insurance man. They want to know how this 17- year-old boy survived for 227 days and was washed up on the Mexican shore after being shipwrecked from a Japanese freighter en route to Canada. Pi has struggled with grief, loss, loneliness, physical pain and still survived.

He is reticent to talk to them at first and finally does open up to explain his childhood in India in 1976, his parents, sister, his relatives, and the zoo that his father owned. The zoo was a magical place for Pi, it housed an orangutang, a giraffe, zebra among other animals and Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger supreme.

Pi’s father (Rajesh Bose) and mother, also overseer and protector during his ordeal (Sathya Sridharan) and family are forced to leave India due to the increasingly repressive government.

As the journey begins, so does the magic created by set and costume designer Tim Hatley. Turning the hospital room and bed into an ocean and a boat is nothing short of extraordinary and a visual extravaganza. As Pi jumps ship after being sunk in a storm, his companions consist of a giraffe, zebra, orangutan and Richard Parker. I don’t have to go into detail about the giraffe, zebra and orangutan. Suffice it to say, the battle is between Pi and Richard Parker and their mutual understanding of each other.

Unlike the movie— which relied mostly on special effects to engage the mass audiences—here religion and metaphysics play a big part in Pi’s survival and it is manifested in the scenes between the hospital and the ocean. Hiran Abeysekera originated the role of Pi (for which he won an Olivier Award last year as best actor) and he captures Pi’s innocence in the beginning as well as his struggles and ordeals with life, religion, and survival.

Special kudos have to go to all the handlers but especially those of Richard Parker, consisting of his head, his hind, and his heart, and his masterful voice is that of (Brian Thomas Abraham).

Life of Pi is a journey of mystical belief and an unforgettable visual treat and experience long after leaving the theatre.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 2, 2023
Reviewed at April 1, 2023 press performance.

‘LIFE OF PI’: Sonya Venugopal, Celia Mei Rubin & Hiran Abeysekera. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

‘LIFE OF PI’: Hiran Abeysekera, Mahira Kakkar & company. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.

‘LIFE OF PI’: Hiran Abeysekera, Mahira Kakkar & company. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.

‘LIFE OF PI’: Rajesh Bose & Hiran Abeysekera. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.

‘LIFE OF PI’: Rowan Magee, Celia Mei Rubin, & Nikki Calonge. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.

‘LIFE OF PI’: Rowan Magee, Celia Mei Rubin & Nikki Calonge. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.

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