‘THE LAST FIVE YEARS’: Adrienne Warren & Nick Jonas. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

THE LAST FIVE YEARS
Book, music & lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Directed by Whitney White
Through June 22, 2025
Hudson Theatre
141 W 44th St
https://thelastfiveyearsbroadway.com/

By Scott Harrah

Jason Robert Brown’s musical The Last Five Years originated in Chicago in 2001 and was first produced Off Broadway in New York in 2002, starring Norbert Leo Butz and Sherie Renee Scott. It was adapted into a 2014 film starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan. Now, the one act has arrived on Broadway with Tony Award winner Adrienne Warren and former teen pop star and Broadway veteran Nick Jonas. Some may not know it, but Nick Jonas has been appearing in Broadway shows since he was a child, long before he hit it big with his sibling pop group The Jonas Brothers. He even did a fine job replacing Daniel Radcliffe in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying in 2012.

Unorthodox narrative

This musical has gained a devoted cult following for its unorthodox narrative. The Last Five Years chronicles the five-year marriage of aspiring actress Cathy (Ms. Warren) and up-and-coming novelist Jamie (Mr. Jonas).  Cathy’s story is told backwards, from the end of her relationship with Jamie to the beginning. Jamie’s story is told the conventional way, from beginning to end.

The two characters’ tales finally merge but just once, at their wedding, and this happens halfway through the show. The musical is almost like an operetta since there’s little spoken dialogue. However, the overall tone is serious and ultimately gloomy. The show isn’t exactly an operetta nor is it a traditional musical. Nothing about the production fits any conventional category, so perhaps that is why The Last Five Years has an ardent fanbase.

‘Nice Jewish boy’ novelist Jamie

Mr. Jonas’s Jamie is a stereotypical “nice Jewish boy” from New York. He’s ambitious and tired of the women he meets in his social circle. When he meets Cathy, she’s unlike anyone he has ever met. With effervescent songs such as “Shiksa Goddess,” “Moving Too Fast” and “A Miracle Would Happen,” Mr. Jonas is in fine voice. As he finds success as a novelist, Cathy struggles.

Aspiring actress Cathy

Theatergoers already know Adrienne Warren has a powerful, angelic voice. She originated the role of Tina Turner in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical both on London’s West End and on Broadway, earning her an Olivier and Evening Standard Theatre Award nomination and a Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award. From the moment the show opens with Cathy belting out “Still Hurting,” a song about the painful ending of her marriage to Jamie, Ms. Warren starts out on a proverbial high note. Her vocals are consistently lush and melodic from beginning to end.  She is top notch when singing such songs as “I Can Do Better Than That” and “Goodbye Until Tomorrow” with her mellifluous voice.

Show’s edgy appeal

The fact that the narrative follows two opposing timelines (Cathy’s in reverse and Jamie’s chronologically) makes the musical edgy, and one can see why it has developed a dedicated group of enthusiasts the past 24 years

Both Mr. Jonas and Ms. Warren have amazing chemistry and stage presence. Fans of either star won’t be disappointed seeing them both shine in the 90-minute one act. Whitney White directs both actors well and they are both continuously fluid and have great timing.

Despite the two amazing performances and the superb vocals, this chronicle of a love and marriage falling apart is not exactly upbeat material. In addition, the awkward and wonky book is exactly why The Last Five Years may not please mass audiences. This cult favorite will certainly thrill those who are already fans of the show, but the confusing nature of the story could make winning over new aficionados difficult indeed.

Published April 16, 2025
Reviewed at press performance on April 9, 2025

‘THE LAST FIVE YEARS’: Adrienne Warren. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘THE LAST FIVE YEARS’: Nick Jonas. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘THE LAST FIVE YEARS’: Nick Jonas & Adrienne Warren. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

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‘PARADE’: Micaela Diamond & Ben Platt. Photo: Joan Marcus.

PARADE
Book by Alfred Uhry
Music & lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Conceived by Harold Prince
Directed by Michael Arden
Through August 6, 2023
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
242 West 45^th Street
(212-239-6200), https://paradebroadway.com/

By David NouNou

A lot has happened since Parade originally opened in 1998 at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre. In its original form, it was compelling theatre; now it is very difficult to sit through. Not that the subject matter has changed—it’s the times that have changed. If anything, Parade is more relevant today than it was back then. Watching antisemitism in full display now, bigotry, the state of Georgia currently in turmoil and making headlines about an injustice perpetrated by a former president—plus, the divisiveness that is splitting the country on so many different issues—there is a lot to process here.

The story is set in Georgia, the time is 1913-1915, and it is about the rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl, Mary Phagen (Erin Rose Doyle), and the subsequent arrest, trumped-up trial, unjust sentencing and lynching of a Jewish factory superintendent, Leo Frank (Ben Platt).

Leo Frank moved from Brooklyn to Atlanta to be with his Southern Georgian Jewish wife, Lucille (Micaela Diamond), whose uncle offered Leo a superintendent’s job and hopefully a better life to be able to raise a family. He is totally uncomfortable in this environment because he is Jewish and feels out of place. It is Memorial Day 1913: Mary Phagen (Miss Doyle), has come to the pencil factory on a Saturday for her weekly pay of $1.20. The next day she is found dead in the basement of the factory. The suspects at the time are the black janitor, Newt Lee (Eddie Cooper) and Leo Frank.  Prosecutor Hugh Dorsey (Paul Alexander Nolan) is coerced by Tom Watson (Manoel Felciano), a writer for The Jeffersonian, an extremist right-wing newspaper, and conspire to release Newt Lee reasoning “hanging another Negro ain’t enough this time. We gotta do better.”

Leo is sentenced to jail to eventually hang. His wife Lucille goes to Governor Slaton (Sean Allan Krill) to show the inconsistences of the trial, which Slaton reluctantly looks over, and ultimately finds enough evidence of conspired lying decides to transfer Leo to another jail, only to be hauled away at night by “rebels seeking revenge” and hanging him.

The book by Alfred Uhry is fascinating and intriguing, while the score by Jason Robert Brown is too lugubrious and unmemorable. For such an intense subject matter, the play could have used more book and less score to make the point of injustice more effective. You yearn for the scenes that have Leo and Lucille speaking frankly to each other or Lucille making her point to Governor Slaton. Originally directed by Harold Prince, director Michael Arden has taken a darker approach to the proceedings. It’s apropos for the times.

What mesmerized me most and made the evening more tolerable was Ben Platt. With the role of Leo Frank, he has finally shed his teenage persona of Evan Hansen, and taken the mantle of Broadway’s next leading man. He is so convincing as Leo that I could not see a sign of Evan. He is solid, as an actor and a singer and genuinely believes in his role.

Two other performances that leapt out were Micaela Diamond as Lucille Frank, her unrelenting pursuit to exonerate her husband and the love behind her motives are palpable. The other performance is from Sean Allan Krill as Georgia Governor Slaton, with his commanding voice and charming Southern gentility; he delivers genuine compassion in trying to resolve this heinous case. The rest of the cast is the usual stereotypes one would find in the South.

Parade is making a meaningful and lasting impression on this year’s theatrical season. It’s mirroring the times in which we live.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published March 22, 2023
Reviewed at March 21, 2023 press performance.

‘PARADE’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘PARADE’: (left to right) William Michals, Jackson Teeley, Paul Alexander Nolan, Eddie Cooper & Max Chernin. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘PARADE’: Alex Joseph Grayson. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘PARADE’: Jay Armstrong Johnson & Jake Pedersen. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘PARADE’: Erin Rose Doyle & Jake Pedersen. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘PARADE’: Paul Alexander Nolan & Alex Joseph Grayson. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘PARADE’: Benn Platt. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘PARADE’: Micaela Diamond. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘PARADE’: Manoel Felciano. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘PARADE’: Stacie Bono & Sean Allan Krill. Photo: Joan Marcus.

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‘MR. SATURDAY NIGHT’: Billy Crystal. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

MR. SATURDAY NIGHT
Book by Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel
Music by Jason Robert Brown
Lyrics by Amanda Green
Directed by John Rando
Nederlander Theatre
208 West 41st Street
(866-870-2717), https://mrsaturdaynightonbroadway.com/

By David NouNou

Mr. Saturday Night brings back the old-fashioned musical, and I say this in the best sense of the word. The show is structured and framed with a wonderful book that is tailor-made for its leading man/star. It has a pleasant score that can be heard and understood without the overuse of amplified miking and digital backtracking. Here we have simple songs that are sung and not shouted, all to be enjoyed to propel the narrative. A simple show that uses the strengths of its star, in this case Billy Crystal recreating the role of Buddy Young, Jr. from the 1992 movie of the same name.

Set in 1994, Buddy has just finished performing in a retirement home, and his act didn’t go over big. Sitting in his living room watching the 1994 Emmys, he sees his name in the “In Memoriam” segment, and reflects on his life on how it has come to this. Starting in a Catskills hotel as a last-minute replacement for Milton Berle, he becomes a big hit and meets his future wife, Elaine (Randy Graff), both taking place on the same night. That same night his brother, Sam Yankleman (David Paymer, recreating his Oscar nominated-role in this part), met Elaine earlier that evening to go out with her and was also supposed to go on with Buddy as a duo act, but nerves got the best of him. He lost the girl and the act and settled to become Buddy’s manager and gofer.

Buddy became TV’s beloved “Mr. Saturday Night” until temper tantrums and the pressures of the job get to him. He is fired from TV, and his career spirals downward. It affects his relationship with his wife, who plays referee between him and their daughter, Susan (Shoshana Bean), who craves his attention. The brothers have a falling out because Sam has had enough of Buddy’s abuse and moves to Florida. Buddy manages to insult and ostracize everyone in the business, until one day an assistant talent agent, Annie Wells (Chasten Harmon) gets to see Buddy, and gets told off by him. She researches his acts, and things start picking up in some bizarre ways.

As I stated earlier, old-fashioned musicals tailor their material for “The Star” and Billy Crystal, along with Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, have scripted this musical to showcase their star, Billy Crystal, in the best light possible—and shine he does. Mr. Crystal has lived Buddy Young. His delivery of one-liners and his act are among the funniest you’ll hear or see this year. We all loved him as the host of the Oscars for nine years and he brightened many a dreary telecast with his instantaneous impromptu quips. However, here he is Buddy Young Jr., an unlikable character, and I think younger audiences may have difficulty separating the two. Audiences who have been weaned on Mr. Crystal’s movies—City Slickers, When Harry Met Sally, Analyze This and Throw Momma from the Train—have loved him for these “nice guy” roles, but may have trouble accepting this cantankerous Buddy. Younger audiences now marvel over the drama of Phantom of the Opera, the musical diversification of Hamilton, the pageantry of Wicked. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed watching audience reactions and how tastes change. It’s such a pity that audiences today don’t understand Borscht Belt humor and the Jewish/Yiddish sensibility that makes it so hilarious, the gentle side of musicals, and songs that are not necessarily remarkable but sweet to listen to.

There are eight characters in this musical headlined by Mr. Crystal. You can see his heart is invested in the character of Buddy, and his scenes with David Paymer as his brother, when they do their schtick, is truly sidesplitting and their dramatic moments are heartfelt.

Randy Graff, as the long-suffering wife, is a breezy delight. She always tries to make things easier by making a brisket. Shoshana Bean is in excellent voice as Susan, trying to discover her self-worth. Chasten Harmon as Buddy’s ardent agent/believer, can deliver the goods in singing and acting. John Rando, the director, spotlights his casts to perfection. He also oversees three very hard-working actors each playing multiple roles: Jordan Gelber, Brian Gonzales, and Mylinda Hull.

The show is great fun for an evening in the theatre. Billy Crystal and David Paymer, you both look and are “mah-velous.”

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published May 5, 2022
Reviewed at May 4, 2022 press performance.

‘MR. SATURDAY NIGHT’: Billy Crystal (center) & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘MR. SATURDAY NIGHT’: Jordan Gelber, Brian Gonzales & Billy Crystal. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘MR. SATURDAY NIGHT’: Billy Crystal & Jordan Paymer. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘MR. SATURDAY NIGHT’: Billy Crystal & Shoshana Bean. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘MR. SATURDAY NIGHT’: Randy Graff & Billy Crystal. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘MR. SATURDAY NIGHT’: Randy Graff. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘MR. SATURDAY NIGHT’: Shoshana Bean. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘MR. SATURDAY NIGHT’: Brian Gonzales, Mylinda Hull & Jordan Gelber. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘MR. SATURDAY NIGHT’: David Paymer. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘MR. SATURDAY NIGHT’: Chasten Harmon. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘MR. SATURDAY NIGHT’: Billy Crystal & Chasten Harmon. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

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HUNKA HUNKS OF BURNING LOVE: David Josefsberg (center) & a chorus of Elvis impersonators in ‘Honeymoon in Vegas.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

HONEYMOON IN VEGAS
Book by Andrew Bergman
Music & lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Directed by Gary Griffin
Nederlander Theatre, 208 West 41st Street
(877-250-2929), www.honeymoonbroadway.com

By Scott Harrah

Old-school Las Vegas is always portrayed with shameless romanticism. Although the glittering city of slot machines, showgirls and mobsters in the 1960s has been mined in countless movies and books, it has never been depicted quite like anything in this entertaining musical stage adaptation of the 1992 Nicholas Cage/Sarah Jessica Parker movie Honeymoon in Vegas, now on Broadway after a successful stint at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey. As a musical, the show works, with plot-propelling songs and the razzle-dazzle production numbers and glittery costumes one would expect from a story set in Vegas.

Rob McClure (best known to Broadway audiences for his role in the tepid, ill-fated Chaplin back in 2012) is merely serviceable as Jack Singer, the proverbial putz who has been dating sexy Betsy (the beautiful and winsome Brynn O’Malley) for five years. As a leading man, Mr. McClure has all the appeal of a stale old piece of toast.

Jack is haunted by the deathbed declaration of his late mother, Bea (Nancy Opel), a cartoonish, nagging Jewish mama. She tells him he must show he only loves her in the song “Never Get Married.” However, Jack defies his dead mama’s wishes and takes Betsy to Las Vegas and plans to marry her.

Honeymoon in Vegas is mired in stereotypes, of course, but what story about Vegas isn’t? Tony Danza’s Tommy Korman, the aging “boss” of the Strip, is still mourning the loss of his beloved wife, a big-haired bimbo whose penchant for reading trashy Sidney Sheldon novels while lying in the sun slathered in coconut oil resulted in an early death from skin cancer. Betsy just happens to be a dead ringer for Tommy’s late wife, so one can guess what eventually happens when he meets her.

Danza’s Tommy is the villain here—Jack faces a tough choice after losing Betsy in a poker game to the guy—but we root for him far more than Jack. With his heavy New York accent and debonair gangster stage presence, Tommy is equal parts Tony Banta from his iconic role on “Taxi,” with many shades of Sinatra. Mr. Danza is total smarmy charm throughout the show, from a winning tap-dance number to such cheesy solo ballads as “Come to An Agreement.”

The story travels from Vegas to Hawaii as Jack tries to win back Betsy and the narrative becomes even more preposterous. Is it a problem when one finds the antagonist in a musical more fascinating than the hero? Does it matter? After all, this a show based on a film perhaps most famous for a scene showing a group of Elvis impersonators skydiving out of a plane. That scene is reproduced with hilarious results here, complete with the number “Airport Song,” and lyrics about how every plane that isn’t nonstop always has to connect through Atlanta.

Don’t come to Honeymoon in Vegas expecting high art or great choreography (the dance moves by Denis Jones are energetic but pedestrian). However, there is a lot to love if you’re a fan of the movie. Even if you’re not, it is rare to find a show like this, with a full orchestra, a gorgeous overture (complete with musicians jamming onstage), a catchy score and glitzy costumes. The musical is colorful and high-spirited enough to lift almost anyone out of the midwinter doldrums.

VEGAS-BOUND: Rob McClure (left) & ensemble in ‘Honeymoon in Vegas.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

HIGH ROLLERS: Tony Danza (seated, far left) & Rob McClure in ‘Honeymoon in Vegas.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

JOHNNY SANDWICH & TOMMY: Matthew Saldivar & Tony Danza in ‘Honeymoon in Vegas.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

A GENTLEMAN’S AGREEMENT: Tony Danza & RobMcClure discuss how to pay a gambling bet in ‘Honeymoon in Vegas.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

MAMA’S DEATHBED WISH: Rob McClure & Nancy Opel in ‘Honeymoon in Vegas.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

FIGHTING OFF AMOROUS ADVANCES IN HAWAII: Rob McClure & Catherine Ricafort. Photo: Joan Marcus

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published January 21, 2015
Reviewed at press performance on January 20, 2015

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INTIMATE MOMENT: Kelli O’Hara & Steven Pasquale. Photo: Joan Marcus

THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY
Book by Marsha Norman
Music & lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Based on the novel by Robert James Walker
Directed by Bartlett Sher
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
236 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), www.BridgesOfMadisonCountyMusical.com

By David NouNou

The score by Jason Robert Brown is lush; Kelli O’Hara is perfection and gives her best performance to date; and Steven Pasquale is a handsome leading man with an exquisite voice. The Bridges of Madison County, whether as a novel, a gloriously filmed movie, or now in its current incarnation as a musical, is essentially a delicate, two-character piece with some background people who happen to be Francesca’s (Ms. O’Hara’s) family, friends and neighbors. However, in Marsha Norman’s tedious and lackluster book, these extemporaneous people now seem more as annoying fillers and pad the show up to two hours and 45 minutes. Way too long for such an intimate musical.

Basically the plot is Francesca, an Italian war bride, came to America and settled down on an Iowa farm and has raised two teenage children. Married for over 18 years, she fulfills her obligations as a dutiful wife. On a particular weekend in 1965 when her family is off to the Indiana state fair, and Francesca stays behind, Robert Kincaid, (Mr. Pasquale) on an assignment to take pictures of the famed Madison County Bridges for National Geographic, gets lost and ends up in Francesca’s driveway for directions. What starts as an innocent flirtation ends in a life-altering love affair. It is Francesca’s dilemma to either follow her heart to live and love the man who brings her back to life, or stay behind to fulfill her obligations as a mother and wife.

Ms. O’Hara’s Francesca is incandescent and by far the best performance of her productive career. She makes Francesca a three-dimensional character with a heart, a soul, charisma, and a voice that is heavenly. Mr. Pasquale matches Ms. O’Hara’s splendid tonal quality, is certainly charming and plausible as to why Francesca would fall for him. He is a bit young for the part, and comes across more as a hunky gas-pump jockey, rather than as a grizzled photographer for National Geographic.

Now comes Ms. Norman’s book, a throwback to 50s and 60s musicals but without the fun, structure or characters. In the old days musicals were almost three hours long. With today’s short attention span, you don’t prolong a show with scenes full of fillers; certainly a good half hour could have easily been cut off this one. She derived a scene from Evita; just as Francesca and Robert are finding each other, she inserts Robert’s wife Miriam across the stage from them with the song “Another Life,” reminiscent of Che’s mistress singing “Another Suitcase in Another Hall.” The beginning of Act II and the finale are even more blatant. Act II starts with a hoedown “State Road 21/The Real World” as did Oklahoma in the song “The Farmer and The Cowman” but not as exhilarating; and the finale, “Always Better,”  is ripped out off Carousel’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

What is most perplexing here is the direction of Bartlett Sher. He is a great director; just to mention the revivals in this case (South Pacific, Golden Boy, Awake and Sing) and is a very keen editor. Had Madison County been a 50s or 60s revival, I can see where he would have kept it intact, but this is an original musical that lacked any originality and his editing skills were desperately needed. Mr. Sher is a clean director and always manages to trim the fat to make the show run as smoothly as possible. Wow, was this show full of gristle.

Scene changes as well are supposed to be as seamless and unobtrusive as possible. However, everything from the kitchen sink, to the dining table, and the bed are all rolled on and off stage by actors in the show and not at the most appropriate of times. Worst of all, every time you see the bridges, they are wheeled out as fences by the actors and positioned to represent these majestic bridges that thousands of visitors come to see annually. I don’t know who is to be blamed more: the scenic designer, Michael Yeargan, for not coming up with some exquisite idea and images of the bridges or Mr. Sher for okaying these cheesy sets that cheapen the show in the worst possible manner.

The show is far from perfect, but does have three important elements to be savored: the never-been-better Kelli O’Hara, an equally admirable Steven Pasquale, and a rhapsodic score by Jason Robert Brown.
The Bridges of Madison County – 4 Tony Nominations, including Best Musical Actress – Kelli O’Hara, BEST SCORE- ROBERT JASON BROWN, Best Lighting Design, BEST ORCHESTRATION – ROBERT JASON BROWN.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published February 28, 2014
Reviewed at press performance on February 27, 2014

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