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‘THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL’: Corey Cott & McKenzie Kurtz. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL
An original stage musical inspired by the songs of Huey Lewis and the News
Book by Jonathan A. Abrams
Story by Tyler Mitchell & Jonathan A. Abrams
Music supervised, arranged & orchestrated by Brian Usifer
Choreography by Lorin Latarro
Directed by Gordon Greenberg
The James Earl Jones Theatre
138 West 48^th Street
https://heartofrocknrollbway.com/

By Scott Harrah

Jukebox musicals are a gamble. When they actually use the songs of an artist to tell a biographical story, as in Tina or Jersey Boys, they can be amazing musicals. Using the songs of an established pop or rock artist to weave through a narrative that has nothing to do with the artist or his or her story can be risky and tricky. However, sometimes Broadway surprises us with this type of jukebox musical—one that actually works. The Heart of Rock and Roll, “inspired” by the songbook of Huey Lewis and the News, is this type of rare exception. It works in so many ways, from the seamless replication of “golden oldie” Huey Lewis songs from the 1980s to the great performances, nostalgic set and costumes to the colorful, lively choreography.

Set in a Midwest factory in 1987, the story focuses on Bobby (Corey Cott), a factory worker at a cardboard plant who has a rock band called The Loop on the side. He is trying to move up in the company. He tries to break out into corporate sales without the approval of owner Mr. Stone (John Dossett) but ends up getting fired. Mr. Stone’s daughter Cassandra (McKenzie Kurtz) likes Bobby and she tries to get his job back.

Bobby follows Cassandra and his pal and HR director Roz (Tamika Lawrence) to a big meeting in Chicago and attempts to get his job back by obtaining the account of eccentric Swedish furniture store mogul Fjord (Orville Mendoza). Meanwhile, Cassandra’s preppy ex-boyfriend Tucker (Billy Harrigan Tighe) is trying to win her back, and Bobby realizes he wants to go back to his band.

The plot is light and silly, but there is nothing wrong with that for a show that simply exists to entertain. Bobby wants his band to make it big, and Cassandra has designs on becoming the CEO of her father’s company. The real star of the show is, of course, the music, and there are plenty of great opportunities for the cast to sing such Huey Lewis classics as “Hip to Be Square,” “Workin’ for a Livin’,” “Do You Believe in Love?,” “I Want a New Drug,” and many more.

One of the show’s strongest assets is Lorin Latarro’s energetic, visually appealing and complex choreography. Ms. Latarro uses props brilliantly, from having dancers portraying employees sliding on cardboard sheets to one production number in which the cast jumps on Bubble Wrap, and this brings down the house with thunderous applause. Ms. Latarro demonstrates here that she is fast becoming one of Broadway’s most innovative choreographers, right up there in the modern Broadway pantheon with such superb contemporaries as Jerry Mitchell,  Jennifer Weber and Casey Nicholaw.

Director Gordon Greenberg gets great performances from the cast. Corey Cott is the perfect leading man and “jukebox hero” for this show, and his take on Bobby has the audience rooting for him at all times. McKenzie Kurtz is equally endearing as Cassandra, and she is in fine voice here. Also worth noting is the spunky Tamika Lawrence, and her portrayal of no-nonsense Roz is outstanding. Ms. Lawrence has great comic timing and gets many laughs from her delivery of some of the show’s best lines. The Heart of Rock and Roll beats with vivacious life and is one of the nicest surprises of the spring 2024 season.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published May 14, 2024
Reviewed at May 2, 2024 press  performance

‘THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL’: (center, left to right) Billy Harrigan Tighe, McKenzie Kurtz & Zoe Jensen. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL’: Corey Cott. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL’: Corey Cott, Raymond J. Lee, John-Michael Lyles & F. Michael Haynie. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL’: John Dossett & McKenzie Kurtz. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

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‘MRS. DOUBTFIRE’: Rob McClure. Photo: Joan Marcus.

MRS. DOUBTFIRE
Book by Karey Kirkpatrick & John O’Farrell
Music & lyrics by Wayne Kirkpatrick & Karey Kirkpatrick
Directed by Jerry Zaks
Choreographed by Lorin Latarro
Music supervision by Ethan Popp
Stephen Sondheim Theatre

124 West 43rd Street
(212-239-6200), www.DoubtfireBroadway.com

By David NouNou

Mrs. Doubtfire’s intentions are good and it aims to please. There is a lot going on in here, but in this case, the proverbial less would have been more. Fewer non-descript songs by the talented Kirkpatrick brothers would have gone a lot further. They did a great job with the score of Something Rotten!—one of my all-time favorite shows—but here the score is so unmemorable to the point of tedium, with the exception of two production numbers, “Make Me A Woman” and “The Shape of Things to Come,” thanks to the ingenious direction by Jerry Zaks and the choreography by Lorin Latarro.

When you create a stage adaptation of a mega-hit family movie—one which originally starred the incomparable Robin Williams—you are also taking a big gamble. Yes, it is an identifiable brand, but turning Mrs. Doubtfire into a musical forces one to make the unenviable comparison of movie versus musical. The movie was seamless and believable and you rooted for the hero Daniel Hilliard/Mrs. Doubtfire. In this case, it is quite difficult to root for Daniel (Rob McClure).

Daniel here is an obnoxious, irresponsible man-child who refuses to take anything seriously. His wife Miranda (Jenn Gambatese) has given him every opportunity to grow up and take responsibility as a husband and father, but he instead remains a child among his own three children: Lydia (Analise Scarpaci), Christopher (Jack Ryan Flynn) and the youngest, Natalie (Avery Sell). This leads to their divorce and the custody of the children. The only way Daniel would get more time to spend with his children is to take the job of their nanny/babysitter, and recreate himself as Mrs. Doubtfire with the aid of the make-up artists Frank, his brother (Brad Oscar) and his husband Andre (J. Harrison Ghee).

You’ll have to wait for about 20 minutes into the show before it begins to come to life, and that’s thanks to the marvelous number given to Mr. Oscar and Mr. Ghee in “Make Me a Woman.” Whenever the show drags, not meant as a pun, the two are in place to give the show some transfusion. Another lovable character is Peter Bartlett as Mr. Jolly, a TV host for a children’s show.

With the book not being much help except as the blueprint for the musical, Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell have thrown in a lot of unnecessary fillers to differentiate themselves from the movie. You will find that out for yourself. Thanks to the genius of Jerry Zaks, he’s infused it with a lot of fun touches to make it pass for family entertainment.

In defense of Mr. McClure, his energy is boundless, his talents are endless and he transforms from Daniel to Mrs. Doubtfire with ease. Despite Mr. McClure’s many gifts, how can anyone compete with a phenomenon like the late Robin Williams?

Jenn Gambatese isn’t given much to do but be dour for most of the show, and the kids— instead of being naturals—are cloying Broadway kids.

As I said before, the show tries very hard to please, and out-of-towners will love it.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published December 9, 2021
Reviewed at December 8, 2021 press performance.

‘MRS. DOUBTFIRE’: (left to right) Avery Sell, Jake Ryan Flynn, Analise Scarpaci, Jenn Gambatese & Rob McClure. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MRS. DOUBTFIRE’: (left to right) J. Harrison Ghee, Brad Oscar, Charity Angél Dawson & Rob McClure. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MRS. DOUBTFIRE’: Brad Oscar, Rob McClure & J. Harrison Ghee. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MRS. DOUBTFIRE’: Jenn Gambatese & Rob McClure. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MRS. DOUBTFIRE’: Peter Bartlett. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MRS. DOUBTFIRE’: Rob McClure. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MRS. DOUBTFIRE’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus.

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‘WAITRESS’: (left to right) Keala Settle, Jessie Mueller & Kimiko Glenn. Photo: Joan Marcus

WAITRESS
Book by Jessie Nelson
Music & lyrics by Sara Bareilles
Based on the motion picture by Adrienne Shelly
Choreography by Lorin Latarro
Directed by Diane Paulus
Brooks Atkinson Theatre
256 West 47th Street
(877-250-2929), www.WaitressTheMusical.com

By David NouNou

Formulated with flour, baked with butter and sprinkled and seasoned with sugar are not only the ingredients of the pies that are baked in Waitress. They are also the ingredients of the show itself and showered all over with love.

Based on the 2007 movie of the same name, Waitress easily translates to the musical formula and is hugely influenced from a female perspective because its creators, book, score and direction, are all women. If you recall the 1970s sitcom “Alice” with Linda Lavin, and Mel’s Diner, it had a feminist point of view that was refreshing for its day. Waitress has updated that version and the notion women can ultimately have and do it all.

The indefatigable Jessie Mueller is Jenna, working in a diner in the American South. She is in a loveless marriage with her abusive husband Earl (Nick Cordero). Her gift is making the pies her mother taught her. In this diner, instead of the gruff and lovable cook Mel and the two besties: loudmouthed Flo and dimwitted Vera, we now have the gruff and lovable cook Cal (Eric Anderson). The besties are loudmouthed Becky (Keala Seattle) and naïve Dawn (Kimiko Glenn), both of whom are there to support Jenna during her destructive marriage and her unplanned pregnancy.

Also on hand is the handsome and married gynecologist, Dr. Pomatter (Drew Gehling), with whom Jenna has an affair during her pregnancy. The ever lovable showstopper Christopher Fitzgerald as Ogie, pursuing Dawn, and the curmudgeonly Joe, owner of the restaurant, are the characters who round out this talented cast.

The book by Jessie Nelson is serviceable; the score by Sara Bareilles is not very compelling considering the best song in the show is given to a secondary character, the showstopper for Ogie entitled “Never Ever Getting Rid of Me.” The rest are interchangeable ballads. Diane Paulus keeps things moving, thanks in large part to the brilliant scenic designer Scott Pask. Although in this case the sets are not much to look at, but their seamless transitions keep the musical afloat and his backdrop landscape vistas are breathtaking.

Jessie Mueller is quickly rising in the ranks as a top, bona fide Broadway star. Having won the Tony Award for Beautiful just two years ago, she will be up again for best actress for the coveted role of Jenna. She is the magical sugar, butter and flour that makes this musical rise.

Keala Settle, as bestie Becky, is a delight and believable; she was one of two characters that made the musical Hands on a Hardbody bearable. Kimiko Glenn as Dawn gives more of a caricature than a performance.

The men run the gamut from dreamy to abusive bully. Drew Gehling as the gynecologist is a total dream; he is one of the good guys. Nick Cordero, who was brilliant in Bullets Over Broadway, here comes across as a Southern psycho bully; one really expected hisses from the audience at curtain call. There is the wonderful character actor Dakin Matthews as the curmudgeonly Joe and he makes his presence felt in every scene. The best for last is Christopher Fitzgerald as Ogie; there isn’t a thing this wonderful musical comic can’t do.

If you’re in the mood for a scrumptious piece of pie, why not try the big helpings you’ll get at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre? They will surely satisfy anyone with a sweet tooth.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 27, 2016
Reviewed at press performance on April 26, 2016

‘WAITRESS’: Jessie Mueller. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAITRESS’: Nick Cordero & Jessie Mueller. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAITRESS’: Kimiko Glenn & Keala Settle. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAITRESS’: Nick Cordero & Jessie Mueller. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAITRESS’: Drew Gehling & Jessie Mueller. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAITRESS’: (Left to right) Ryan Vasquez, Charity Angél Dawson, Christopher Fitzgerald, Eric Anderson, Dakin Matthews & Molly Hager. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAITRESS’: Christopher Fitzgerald, Kimiko Glenn & Aisha Jackson. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAITRESS’: Kimiko Glenn & Christopher Fitzgerald. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAITRESS’: Dakin Matthews & Jessie Mueller. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAITRESS’: (left to right) Jeffrey Morse, Christopher Fitzgerald, Kimiko Glenn & Aisha Jackson. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAITRESS’: Drew Gehling & Jessie Mueller. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAITRESS’: Drew Gehling & Jessie Mueller. Photo: Joan Marcus

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