Complete cast announced for new revival at Studio 54

NEW YORK—Roundabout Theatre Company has announced the complete cast for Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show, set to return to Broadway at Studio 54.

Performances begin March 26, 2026, with an official opening on April 23. The production will run as a limited engagement through June 21, 2026.

Courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company.

A bold Broadway debut

British film and stage star Luke Evans will make his Broadway debut as the iconic Dr. Frank‑N‑Furter. Evans is best known for his work in Beauty and the Beast, the Hobbit films, and High‑Rise.

He joins an ensemble that blends Broadway favorites, award winners, and first‑time Broadway performers.

Courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company.

Star‑studded ensemble

The cast includes Rachel Dratch as the Narrator, Andrew Durand as Brad, and Stephanie Hsu as Janet.

They are joined by Amber Gray as Riff Raff, Harvey Guillén as Eddie/Dr. Scott, and Juliette Lewis as Magenta.

Completing the principal cast are Josh Rivera as Rocky and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez as Columbia.

A creative team with bite

Tony Award winner Sam Pinkleton directs the new production. His recent work includes the acclaimed Broadway hit Oh, Mary!

The creative team features choreography by Ani Taj, music supervision by Kris Kukul, scenic design by dots, costume design by David I. Reynoso, lighting design by Jane Cox, and sound design by Brian Ronan.

Courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company.

A cult classic returns

First staged in London in 1973, The Rocky Horror Show has played continuously around the world for more than five decades. The musical inspired the 1975 film and remains a staple of late‑night theatre culture.

The story follows Brad and Janet, whose broken‑down car leads them to a mysterious mansion and an unforgettable night. The show features iconic songs including “Dammit Janet,” “Hot Patootie,” “Touch‑A, Touch‑A, Touch Me,” and “Time Warp.”

Performance details

The Rocky Horror Show will play at Studio 54 (254 West 54th Street).

Tickets and subscription information are available at:
https://www.roundabouttheatre.org

For more information about the production, visit:
https://rockyhorrorshowbroadway.com

For more information on The Rocky Horror Show, visit rockyhorrorshowbroadway.com or follow on social

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‘A WONDERFUL WORLD’: James Monroe Iglehart as Louis Armstrong. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

A WONDERFUL WORLD: THE LOUIS ARMSTRONG MUSICAL
Book by Aurin Squire
Conceived by Andrew Delaplaine & Christopher Renshaw
Directed by Christopher Renshaw
Studio 54
254 West 54^th Street
https://louisarmstrongmusical.com/

By Scott Harrah

Jazz, like musical theater, is one of the few art forms that is truly “all American.”  Its roots are grounded in New Orleans, Louisiana. And its heart and soul stem from the African American experience in the American South. One of the American legends who embodies jazz at its best is the great Louis Armstrong, the jolly, gravel-voiced vocalist and cornet/trumpet player. Armstrong soared to the top of the American music charts with his signature songs, “Hello, Dolly!” (which knocked the Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” out of the number one slot in the USA on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1964) and “A Wonderful World.” However, many of us know little about the man behind the music until now. A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Story is a joyous, colorful celebration of Mr. Armstrong’s life, music, and his rags-to-riches tale.

New Orleans roots

The story begins with a prologue in the 1970s in a rehearsal room with James Monroe Iglehart (best known for his Tony Award-winning role of Genie in Disney’s Aladdin) singing “Now You Have Jazz.”

Next, the narrative steps back in time to New Orleans in the 1910s. Armstrong’s four wives at different stages of his life help tell the story, mostly through flashbacks. In New Orleans, his first wife Daisy Parker (Dionne Figgins) is a prostitute, and she joins him on duets such as “Kiss of Fire.” Aurin Squire’s book relies heavily on the perspective of the wives, and each woman talks about Armstrong’s many shortcomings: He’s a womanizer, unfaithful, drinks too much, smokes cigarettes and marijuana, but he has a big heart regardless.

Chicago in the 1920s

Armstrong’s move to Chicago in the 1920s highlights the second part of the first act. King Joe Oliver (Gavin Gregory), the man who started King Joe Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, brings Armstrong up from New Orleans. Oliver and Armstrong sing the classic “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?”

At the same time, Armstrong meets the woman who eventually becomes his second wife, Lil Hardin (Jennie Harding-Fleming), a brilliantly gifted jazz pianist with an elegant, no-nonsense presence and a sharp head for the business side of music. Lil and Louis Armstrong sing such classics as “Tiger Rag” and King Joe Oliver joins them on “Got a Bran’ New Suit.”

The Hollywood years

Armstrong’s journey to Hollywood in the 1930s is featured in the second act. He is now breaking into the movies and we meet his third wife, Alpha Smith (Kim Exum). He appears in such films as Ex-Flame, A Rhapsody in Black and Blue, Pennies from Heaven, and others. Alpha is the quintessential Hollywood glamour girl and she joins him on such songs as “Big Butter and Egg Man.”

Sadly, Armstrong soon learns that Hollywood is only interested in casting him in stereotypical Black roles such as singing butlers, “Uncle Toms” and “clowns.” Throughout the show, he is told that he needs a “white man” to help oversee his career, and Armstrong fears he might be considered a “sellout” by other Blacks.

To illustrate how Hollywood Blacks felt in this era, Lincoln Perry (DeWitt Fleming Jr.), a Black comedian and vaudevillian of the time who went the stage name Stepin Fetchit, tells him, “Black people here are very-very-very-VERY understanding. We’re a hustling and bustling people. Everyone’s got their angle. Me, Hattie McDaniels, Bojangles….Black folks have no problem with us.”

New York in the 1940s

As a result of getting tired of Hollywood, Armstrong moves to New York in the 1940s. Next, we meet his fourth wife and the woman with whom he had the longest marriage, Lucille Wilson (Darlesia Cearcy). Lucille is a chorus girl at the renowned Cotton Club in Harlem when she meets Armstrong. When he first asks her out, Lucille is blunt. “You can drop the mask in front of me. I want the real Louis Armstrong. The poor kid from New Orleans,” she says, referring to his many stage personas and nicknames from Satchmo and Big Dipper to Pops.

In general, Lucille helps Armstrong settle down and tames his wild ways with women. When he is offered the chance by the U.S. State Department to tour around the world representing the USA, singing his hits “Hello, Dolly!” and “A Wonderful World,” Lucille insists on accompanying him so he doesn’t mess around with other women. Toward the show’s end, Armstrong sings all his patriotic songs, including “Star Spangled Banner.” Of course—spoiler alert!—the finale features the show’s title song “A Wonderful World,” with Armstrong singing with all his wives, Daisy, Lil, Alpha and Lucille and the rest of the cast.

An epic packed with talent

Ultimately, A Wonderful World is a bona fide epic, at nearly two hours and 45 minutes, chronicling his rise from a poor New Orleans musician to one of America’s most beloved entertainers. Is it a perfect bio-musical? No. It is a long show but, despite a couple unnecessary songs, A Wonderful World is never dull and is consistently entertaining. Book writer Aurin Squire broaches the topic of racial inequality in America, especially in 1930s Hollywood, in a manner that is still relevant today without being heavy-handed.

Besides hearing all the outstanding Louis Armstrong classics—orchestrated and arranged by jazz legend Branford Marsalis—other aspects make A Wonderful World a Broadway gem.

Outstanding performances & choreography

First, the superb choreography and musical staging by Rickey Tripp. Decked out in lavish period costumes by Toni-Leslie James, it is a rare treat getting to see old-school dance numbers (including tap dancing) that remind one of Broadway’s golden age, back in the days when musicals were spectacular instead of sparse. In general, the gifted cast and stellar performances and vocals are the show’s biggest assets. First and foremost, James Monroe Igehart is phenomenal as Louis Armstrong. He has the raspy voice, mellifluous vocals and happy-go-lucky attitude that catapulted Armstrong to superstardom. Director Christopher Renshaw has done a remarkable job helping Mr. Iglehart deliver a nonstop, steadily brilliant portrayal of Louis Armstrong as a flawed but good-natured, multi-talented man. What’s more, Gavin Gregory is magnificent as King Joe Oliver, Armstrong’s teacher and mentor.

In addition, the performances by the actresses playing his wives are equally exceptional. Dionne Figgins as Daisy, Jennie Harney-Fleming as Lil, Kim Exum as Alpha and Darlesia Cearcy as Lucille are all top-notch in their performances, and each has a powerful singing voice. Ms. Cearcy is especially dynamic on the solo ballad “That’s My Home,” and her lush, commanding vibrato brings down the proverbial house.

A must-see

In conclusion, A Wonderful World has all the ingredients for a splendid night of musical theater, making it a must-see on Broadway this fall.

Published November 11, 2024
Reviewed at November 10, 2024 press preview

‘A WONDERFUL WORLD’: (left to right) Dionne Figgins, Jennie Harney-Fleming, James Monroe Iglehart, Kim Exum & Darlesia Cearcy. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘A WONDERFUL WORLD’: James Monroe Iglehart & cast. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘A WONDERFUL WORLD’: James Monroe Iglehart & Gavin Gregory. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘A WONDERFUL WORLD’: James Monroe Iglehart & (left to right) Jodeci Milhouse, Alysha Morgan & Kate Louissaint. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘A WONDERFUL WORLD’: DeWitt Fleming Jr. & cast. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘A WONDERFUL WORLD’: Darlesia Cearcy & James Monroe Iglehart. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

YouTube video of A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical

The post ‘A Wonderful World’: Jazz icon’s life & music appeared first on StageZine.

‘DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES’: Brian D’Arcy James & Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Joan Marcus

DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES
Book by Craig Lucas
Music & lyrics by Adam Guettel
Directed by Michael Greif
Through March 31, 2024
Studio 54
254 West 54th Street
(212-719-1300), https://daysofwineandrosesbroadway.com/

By David NouNou

Having seen newcomers Kelli O’Hara and Brian D’Arcy James perform together in 2002 in the musical adaptation of Sweet Smell of Success, it is hard to imagine that was 22 years ago, and they are now Broadway veterans. Between the two of them they have performed in such shows as Hamilton, The King and I, Into the Woods, and The Pajama Game, just to name a few. After all these years and all the shows they’ve been in, they are now at the top of their game in this musical adaptation of Days of Wine and Roses.

If one is familiar with the 1962 movie of the same name with Lee Remick and Jack Lemmon, now it is set as a musical. The setting is still New York City in the 1960s, Kirsten Arnesen (Kelli O’Hara) and Joe Clay (Brian D’Arcy James) are an ideal couple: they are young, beautiful, career-oriented, and in love. They get married and have a daughter. Seemingly they are the perfect couple. However, their idyllic world is shattered by an addiction called alcoholism. Starting out as social drinkers, they quickly descend into their hellish lives with Joe losing his job, and they both turn to Kristen’s father, Arnesen (Byron Jennings) for financial assistance, only to get themselves in another destructive bender that does irretrievable damage.

Joe tries multiple times to get himself help and climb out of his hell, if for no other reason but to be there for their daughter but Kristen refuses to let go of her demons. It’s a formidable tale of addiction at its most gripping.

Did the show need to be musicalized? Probably not. The book by Craig Lucas is flawless in following the original script of the movie and could have stood by itself. The score by Adam Guettel is so listless and forgettable that the show could have done without this banal score. However, if one wouldn’t have had the score, one would miss the glorious operatic voice of Kelli O’Hara.

Days of Wine and Roses, The Musical survives due to the magnificent performances of its two leads. Kelli O’Hara has never shown such a range of character, emotion and vulnerability in her performances as she is demonstrating here. The term incandescent is so appropriate and her vocalizing is glorious.

Brian D’Arcy James has given numerous wonderful performances. He is a quintessential musical leading man and here, as Ms. O’Hara hits all the emotional notes,  is also demonstrating his vulnerability.

Michael Greif, director of such hits as Dear Evan Hansen, Rent and Next to Normal has hit another high point in his career by extracting and pacing his two leads and having them give the performances of their careers.

Coming out you will miss the beautiful melodic and haunting 1962 Oscar winning song “The Days of Wine and Roses” by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, but you will also come out remembering the performances of Kelli O’Hara and Brian D’Arcy James.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published February 21, 2024
Reviewed at February 20, 2024 performance.

‘DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES’: Brian D’Arcy James & Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES’: Brian D’Arcy James & Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES’: Kelli O’Hara & Brian D’Arcy James. Photo: Joan Marcus.

The post ‘Days of Wine and Roses’: Stars at top of game appeared first on StageZine.

‘PICTURES FROM HOME’: Zoe Wanamaker. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

PICTURES FROM HOME
Written by Sharr White
Based on the photo memoir Pictures From Home by Larry Sultan
Directed by Bartlett Sher
Through April 30, 2023
Studio 54
254 West 54th Street
(212-239-6200), www.PicturesFromHomeBroadway.com

By David NouNou

Here is the conundrum: Pictures From Home, “based on the photo memoir”—in a digital age, where every picture is either posed for or a selfie on a smartphone camera, where every shot looks like the previous shot, and the images are thumbed through and disposable—feels awkward in 2023. Writing a play about analyzing pictures that seem to appear as they are when they were taken, but can tell a different story when dissected, is inherently problematic in the 21^st century. It’s a singular idea viewed in a dual dimension.

The play has the feeling of being performed in a vacuum. Sharr White’s play is based on photographer/college professor Larry Sultan’s book, a photo memoir, analyzing pictures from his childhood in Brooklyn with his parents and two brothers. His parents move to the San Fernando Valley in California. Starting in 1982, for eight years Larry (Danny Burstein) is searching for his parents’ aspirations in various pictures taken in earlier years. His father, Irving Sultan (Nathan Lane), was a suit salesman in New York City and moved to California for a better life and became a VP, selling Schick razors. His mother, Jean Sultan (Zoe Wanamaker), is a successful real estate broker. His father has been retired for years, but his mother is still working, awaiting the day they can both retire and move to Palm Desert. What’s keeping them in their home? It is Larry coming every two weeks to dissect his parents and their pictures.

Although Larry is a successful photographer and a college professor, he lives in San Francisco with his pregnant wife and son. He flies down in constant search for something even he doesn’t know what he is looking for— it must have been nice to have such an understanding wife—and here is the head-scratcher: I understand that this is Larry’s odyssey; however, there is no mention of either one of his brothers. They are nowhere to be seen or talked about other than their childhood photos. Larry behaves as if he is the only son in the family searching for his aspirations through the dissection of his parents.

59 Productions must be given credit for their projections of Larry Sultan’s family pictures. They are not superimposed pictures of Nathan Lane and Zoe Wanamaker but the actual pictures of Irving and Jean Sultan. This is also where the vacuum and conundrum take place. Trying to thread aspirations through yesteryear’s pictures and trying to get a resolution is not compelling enough for a 105-minute play. Because ultimately, what family doesn’t have its ups and downs?

We are left with three of Broadways best veteran actors doing their best to give us a semblance of what Larry is searching for. Nathan Lane delivers a savagely charming performance as Irving, both biting and effective. Zoe Wanamaker as Jean, long absent from Broadway, delivers the best performance of the evening. She is the anchor that gives reality to this flimsy tale and she does it with great compassion. The hardest part is Larry. Mr. Burstein tries to imbue him with humanity, but the character is so lost in search of his parents, that when Larry’s children grow up, they will be facing the same dilemma of where was their father when they were growing up.

Director Bartlett Sher works hard trying to breathe life into this project, but it is very difficult to add focus to a play with so many flaws.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published February 23, 2023
Reviewed at February 22, 2023 performance.

‘PICTURES FROM HOME’: Nathan Lane & Danny Burstein. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘PICTURES FROM HOME’: Danny Burstein & Nathan Lane. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘PICTURES FROM HOME’: Nathan Lane & Danny Burstein. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

The post ‘Pictures from Home’: Scenes from a marriage appeared first on StageZine.

‘THE MINUTES’: (center) Noah Reid & (left to right) Jesse Mueller, Jeff Still, Tracy Letts & Cliff Chamberlain. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

THE MINUTES
Written by Tracy Letts
Directed by Anna D. Shapiro
Through July 24, 2022
Studio 54
254 West 54th Street
New York, NY 10019
(212-239-6200), www.TheMinutesBroadway.com

By David NouNou

Our Town gone awry.

Tracy Letts is a timely and a wonderful playwright but also a theatrical provocateur. Not that these can’t go hand in hand; just look at the likes of Tennessee Williams and Edward Albee. His ideas and the way they unfold are brilliant but they can go too far in the end. The adage that “less is more” certainly applies to Mr. Letts. At times, he needs a strong director to smooth out the extreme rough edges. Mr. Williams had Elia Kazan, Mr. Albee had Alan Schneider, and Mr. Letts needs a stronger director who doesn’t just rubber stamp what he writes in a script.

At a city council meeting room in Big Cherry (any town west of New York City and east of LA) USA, a meeting is about to convene. Brian Peel (Noah Reid of Schitt’s Creek fame) has just returned from his mother’s funeral in California, and being offered condolences from Mayor Superba (Tracy Letts) along with the rest of the council members. Peel wants to know about the minutes that took place the week before while he was out and the missing member Mr. Carp (Ian Barford). Starting with the council secretary, Ms. Johnson (Jesse Mueller) to senior members Ms. Innes (Blair Brown) and Mr. Oldfield (Austin Pendleton) to junior members Mr. Blake (K. Todd Freeman), Mr. Hanratty (Danny McCarthy) and Mr. Assalone (Jeff Still) all give him small talk, runarounds and exchange pleasantries but no one will give him a straight answer about the “unwritten yet” minutes or the whereabouts of Mr. Carp and why he is not at the meeting.

The play goes into high gear (often hilarious) once each councilman starts talking about grievances and the bill they want to pass. The mayhem probably takes place at any council meeting, but this one goes even further by re-enacting for Mr. Peel the heroism that took place in bringing the existence of their town Big Cherry to life replete with American soldiers, Native American Indians, and the Farmers Family.

Once the digging goes beneath the surface, it uncovers America’s soul and the sanitizing of history that has and is currently taking place, in places like Florida, Oklahoma or in any town, state or school that represses history. Mr. Letts has written a chilling play that is profound and mirrors the “good” folks and mayors in small-town America today.

As always, Mr. Letts has written meaty roles for an excellent ensemble cast whose names I’ve listed earlier. Each has a unique role: Mr. Letts’ mayor is a shark with a no-nonsense attitude. Noah Reid, making his Broadway debut, is perfect as the idealistic councilman (he may remind one of James Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington). Austin Pendleton as the oldest grousing councilman is a scream. Ian Barford, Blair Brown, K. Todd Freeman, Danny McCarthy, Jesse Mueller, and Jeff Still all lend their talents to elevate this ensemble.

There is a “but” here, and the but is how Mr. Letts chooses to end his plays. There were a couple of possibilities of ending this play satisfactorily without outrageous theatrics involved. This is where director Anna D. Shapiro should have stepped in to polish these rough edges with some fine-tuned editing and still made it a remarkable evening in the theatre. Just as he did in his epic work August: Osage County, Mr. Letts has a lot to say about the uncomfortable taboo topics in everyday American life.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 21, 2022
Reviewed at April 20, 2022 press performance.

‘THE MINUTES’: Jesse Mueller & Noah Reid. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘THE MINUTES’: Tracy Letts & Noah Reid. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

The post ‘The Minutes’: When a town sanitizes its history appeared first on StageZine.

‘CAROLINE, OR CHANGE’: Sharon D. Clarke (center) & cast. Photo: Joan Marcus.

CAROLINE, OR CHANGE
Book & lyrics by Tony Kushner
Music by Jeanine Tesori
Directed by Michael Longhurst
Through January 9, 2022
Studio 54

254 West 54th Street
(212-719-1300), www.RoundaboutTheatre.org


By David NouNou

Topical, controversial and ambitious would be three words to describe Caroline, or Change. It’s a show with a mystique for its devoted fans and a cult following, but it has also had a bumpy road from the onset. The original opened in 2004 at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre with Tonya Pinkins as Caroline and Anika Noni Rose in her Tony-winning role as Emmie, her daughter, and lasted for only 136 performances.

Set in Louisiana in 1963, we first see Caroline, the African-American maid (Sharon D. Clarke), in the basement doing the laundry for the Gellmans, a white Jewish family. She has been working at this job for most of her adult life. She has been dealt a tough hand. In addition to physical abuse, her husband abandoned her and left her with four children to raise. Caroline is a very bitter woman. She can talk and communicate better with inanimate objects than human beings. The objects that have a human form are: a washing machine (Arica Jackson), a dryer (Kevin S. McAllister), and her radio (Nasia Thomas, Nya and Harper Miles).

The one person who does pierce her armor is an eight-year-old boy, Noah Gellman (Adam Makké). Despite her personal feelings, she likes him and tries to protect and guide him. Noah leaves his loose change in his pockets and Caroline finds them and puts them in a laundry cup to return to him. In order to teach Noah the value of money, his stepmother Rose (Cassie Levy) tells Caroline to keep that change and supplement her income with it. This prompts a dilemma for Caroline on whether to keep the money to help her by giving some pocket money to her children or to leave it in the laundry cup.

The topicality of this musical is very pertinent today what with all the racial issues and Judaism, both of which are under attack; putting them together becomes an explosive issue. The message of the story being coexistence, both in 1963 and today.

The show was set to open in 2020, but the pandemic forced it to shut down. In the midst of a pandemic, the nation went reeling with the death of George Floyd and the aftermath of racism sent shockwaves around the world. This makes the message of coexistence in Caroline, or Change that much more pertinent.

The problem of the show isn’t in the message as much as it is in the messaging. The score is unmemorable and the book is so overwrought. Being Jewish myself, I always found the Jewish aspects of the book by Tony Kushner to be cliché to the point of ad nauseam, the language and the Yiddish idioms spoken by the Gellmans at times sound like a TV episode of “The Nanny” with Nanny Fine’s family.

There is a silver lining here: Sharon D. Clarke as Caroline. She originated the role in London in 2018 and she’s sensational. The songs may be unmemorable but the voices in this show are phenomenal.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 3, 2021
Reviewed at November 2, 2021 press performance.

‘CAROLINE, OR CHANGE’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘CAROLINE, OR CHANGE’: Caissie Levy & Sharon D. Clarke. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘CAROLINE, OR CHANGE’: (Left to right): Nasia Thomas, Harper Miles, Nya, Arica Jackson, Sharon D. Clarke. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘CAROLINE, OR CHANGE’: Adam Makké & Sharon D. Clarke. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘CAROLINE, OR CHANGE’: Sharon D. Clarke. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘CAROLINE, OR CHANGE’: Tamika Lawrence & Sharon D. Clarke. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘CAROLINE, OR CHANGE’: Nya, Harper Miles & Nasia Thomas. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘CAROLINE, OR CHANGE’: Nasia Thomas, Kevin S. McAllister & Sharon D. Clarke. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘CAROLINE, OR CHANGE’: Nasia Thomas, Kevin S. McAllister, Sharon D. Clarke, Arica Jackson & Harper Miles. Photo: Joan Marcus.

The post ‘Caroline, or Change’: A timely revival appeared first on StageZine.

‘THE SOUND INSIDE’: Will Hochman & Mary-Louise Parker. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

THE SOUND INSIDE
Written by Adam Rapp
Directed by David Cromer
Through January 12, 2020
Studio 54
254 West 54th Street
(212-239-6200), www.soundinsidebroadway.com

By David NouNou

When you have an intense 90-minute, two-character drama that is almost a monologue and a thriller, the less said the better. That being said, it is better for the viewer’s benefit to go into The Sound Inside with as little knowledge as possible.

Bella (Mary-Louise Parker) is a Yale professor. She is a loner and is heavily involved in academia. She loves books and enlightening students with the bounty that’s inside them. Bella also has been diagnosed as having an advanced stage of stomach cancer.

Her life is interrupted by a most challenging and rebelliously stringent student, Christopher (Will Hochman). Christopher wants to write a novel, and Bella is intrigued by his ideas and the concept of his writing. This forms an unusual bond between them. It leads into twists and turns that the viewer has to decipher and that is a good thing. The possibilities are boundless.

The dialogue is crisp and the chemistry between Bella and Christopher is palpable. It is incredible how David Cromer, the director, paces the proceedings and extracts beautiful, unforgettable moments from such a delicate, intricate drama

What makes the show so indelible are the two exquisite performances by Mary-Louise Parker and Will Hochman. Ms. Parker’s performance is subtle and divine; she pulls you in ever so gently. Mr. Hochman’s performance is so perfectly matched to Ms. Parker’s, that he, as a newcomer, is fresh and destined to become a new force on Broadway.

Between the great acting onstage and precise direction, suffice it to say that Adam Rapp has written the most fulfilling, engrossing play of the season and it is open to each viewer’s interpretation, which is the stuff of great theatre.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 25, 2019
Reviewed at October 24, 2019 press performance.

‘THE SOUND INSIDE’: Mary-Louise Parker & Will Hochman. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘THE SOUND INSIDE’: Will Hochman & Mary-Louise Parker. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘THE SOUND INSIDE’: Mary-Louise Parker. Photo: Jeremy Daniel

The post ‘The Sound Inside’ one of season’s best plays appeared first on StageZine.

‘KISS ME, KATE’: Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Joan Marcus

KISS ME, KATE
Book by Sam & Bella Spewack
Music & lyrics by Cole Porter
Directed by Scott Ellis
Choreography by Warren Carlyle
Through June 30, 2019
Studio 54
254 West 54th Street
(212-719-1300), www.RoundaboutTheatre.org

By David NouNou

In last year’s revival of My Fair Lady at the Vivian Beaumont, the balance of power shifted from Henry Higgins to Eliza Doolittle. This year Roundabout Theatre Company has chosen to do the same sort of gender-power transference with Kiss Me, Kate, in which Lilli Vanessi/Katherine (Kelli O’Hara) trounces Fred Graham/Petruchio (Will Chase) at every turn and in every scene. Having Ms. O’Hara in the part opposite Will Chase, it becomes an absolute knockout.

Cole Porter wrote one of the most glorious scores of all time for a Broadway musical and the songs are as vibrant as ever. The book by the Spewacks hasn’t weathered as well. Act I sets the story in motion, and for all the wonderful songs in Act II, they do not advance the story line much further; they act more as fillers, which was the case in a lot of musicals at the time.

Set in a Baltimore theater, the show starts with the brilliant “Another Op’nin, Another Show,” which sets the tone and mood of what is about to unfold. Lilli Vanessi has returned to the theater one last time to make her farewell performance in Taming of the Shrew, written, produced and directed by her ex-husband Fred Graham. They were married, very much in love but are currently divorced. The complications begin when Fred has cast his latest flirtation, Lois Lane/Bianca (Christine Cornish Smith) and her one true love Bill Calhoun/Lucentio (Corbin Bleu) to also be in Taming of the Shrew. Trouble ensues when Lili finds about Fred’s extracurricular activity involving Lois.

Due to the shift in power, it isn’t so much as taming of the shrew as getting even with your ex-husband. Kelli O’Hara as the shrew, Katherine, is an absolute revelation. She was a sensation in South Pacific, The Pajama Game and her Tony Award-winning role of Anna in The King and I. Here she has elevated her rank to a prima donna diva. Her voice is stunning and her acting is sublime. Will Chase does a valiant Fred/Petruchio, but the deck is stacked against him. Corbin Bleu as the hoofer Bill Calhoun is sensational. However, the highlight of the night is the opening number in Act II “Too Darn Hot,” set on the rooftop of the theater during their intermission where the dancers come up to cool off but instead end up blowing the roof off the theater.

The other thing to remember is when you see a show being directed by Scott Ellis, you know you are in for a treat. He never disappoints and he always has new tricks up his sleeve. He is rhythmically complemented by the wonderful choreographer, Warren Carlyle, and each of his numbers are absolute eye-poppers.

Wunderbar!

Editor’s Note: Understudy Christine Cornish Smith played the role of Lois Lane/Bianca at the performance reviewed here, substituting for Stephanie Styles.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published March 21, 2019
Reviewed at March 20, 2019 press performance.

‘KISS ME, KATE’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘KISS ME, KATE’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘KISS ME, KATE’: Will Chase. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘KISS ME, KATE’: (left to right) Preston Truman Boyd, Stephanie Styles, Corbin Bleu & Justin Prescott. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘KISS ME, KATE’: (left to right) Will Burton, Rick Faugno, Stephanie Styles & Corbin Bleu. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘KISS ME, KATE’: (left to right) John Pankow, Will Chase & Lance Coadie Williams. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘KISS ME, KATE’: Corbin Bleu, Sarah Meahl & Erica Mansfield. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘KISS ME, KATE’: Corbin Bleu & Stephanie Styles. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘KISS ME, KATE’: Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘KISS ME, KATE’: Kelli O’Hara & Will Chase. Photo: Joan Marcus

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‘THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT’: Bobby Cannavale & Cherry Jones. Photo: Peter Cunningham

THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT
Written by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell & Gordon Farrell
Based on the essay/book by John D’Agata & Jim Fingal
Directed by Leigh Silverman
Through January 13, 2019
Studio 54
254 West 54th Street
(212-239-6200), www.lifespanofafact.com

By David NouNou

It’s been a long dry spell in the theater since we’ve had such a direct bullseye of a play with a compelling storyline, wonderful acting, razor-sharp direction; one just can’t help but have a hell of a good time. Although the title may suggest the plot, The Lifespan of a Fact has unexpected twists that you wouldn’t expect, and it ends up being an intelligent, thought-provoking comedy and great entertainment.

Based on a 2012 essay/book written by John D’Agata and Jim Fingal, about an essayist, not a journalist, Jim (Bobby Cannavale) having his essay (not article) published by the editor of a reputable magazine, Emily (Cherry Jones). Emily hires a fact-checker, Jim (Daniel Radcliffe,) to make sure that all the details of John’s essay are indeed factual. What you need to know is that John is brash and doesn’t care for the details as long as the essay reads well from a literary perspective, Emily is a no-nonsense editor, and Jim, well you’ll have to see the show to know about Jim.

The essay is about a 16-year-old boy committing suicide by jumping off the highest point of a hotel in Las Vegas and the things that took place on that particular day. And so, starts the play with Jim fact checking the first inaccuracy of whether 31 or 34 houses of ill repute shut down on that day due to the tragedy. That is in paragraph one. Let’s just say we don’t even get to paragraph two.

Although there is no mention of any of the current lies that are coming from the White House on a daily basis, the importance of fact-checkers has never been more relevant than they are today. We once lived in innocent times when fact-checkers were being eliminated by magazines and newspapers due to budget constraints; now they are working around the clock to keep up and catch all the lies and misrepresentations and herein lies Jim’s expertise.

As I mentioned earlier, the cast is impeccable. Starting with Daniel Radcliffe who has never been better and is able to display his sharp delivery and exude a presence lacking in his previous outings on Broadway. He was mainly known as the child actor who played in all the Harry Potter movies. He is no longer a child or Harry Potter; he is simply an actor doing his best job to date and if this play had opened in April of 2019, he would have been a sure contender for the Tony. As it is still only October, April is a long way off and some performances can be forgotten, but this one is indelible.

Bobby Cannavale gives passion to John and his belief in his essay, that although it may have holes in it, he believes that’s the way it happened, and he exudes strength in his justification. Cherry Jones, who always plays the centerpiece in every show, has a secondary role but of equal importance because she has to make the decision of what is right and what would be libelous. There is a lot of strength in her performance, dividing her energy between her essayist and her fact-checker.

Leigh Silverman has directed her cast with precision and expertise; not a line is thrown away and every gesture speaks volumes. The play is in constant motion and never lags for an instant. My one regret is the play is only running till January 13, 2019. What a shame it’s not like the olden days when a straight play had a life of its own and could run as long as it needed instead of a limited engagement.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 23, 2018
Reviewed at October 22, 2018 press performance.

‘THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT’: Bobby Cannavale. Photo: Peter Cunningham

‘THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT’: Cherry Jones. Photo: Peter Cunningham

‘THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT’: Daniel Radcliffe. Photo: Peter Cunningham

The post ‘The Lifespan of a Fact’: Truth, accuracy & egos appeared first on StageZine.

‘LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS’: John Leguizamo. Photo: Matthew Murphy

LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS
Written by & starring John Leguizamo
Directed by Tony Taccone
Through February 25, 2018
Studio 54
254 West 54th Street
212-390-5983, www.latinhistorybroadway.com

By Scott Harrah

Funnyman John Leguizamo is a master at solo performances, as anyone who saw his previous one-man Broadway efforts Freak and Ghetto Klown can attest. Mr. Leguizamo has always hilariously mined material from his Hispanic heritage and streetwise New York roots, but here he takes the focus off himself (well, sort of) by talking about his bullied teenage son’s quest to find a Latino hero from history for a school project. Although Mr. Leguizamo covers much of the same territory he did in past shows, his statements about the “whitewashing” of U.S. and North American history ring with veracity in the xenophobic, anti-immigrant political environment in which we currently live.

The 95-minute monologue centers on Mr. Leguizamo giving a laugh-inducing lecture on how white Europeans, from Christopher Columbus to the Spanish Conquistadors and our own American founding fathers, skewed history through the decades to marginalize, overlook or flat out omit facts about the native people in the Americas, from the Native Americans in the USA and Canada to the Aztecs of Mexico, the Taino people of the Caribbean and the Incas of South America. As Mr. Leguizamo says, Hispanics have more Native American blood than Spanish or anything else, adding, “And we’re also 25% white, 25% Jewish, 25% Lebanese and 25% I don’t know what the f**k!”

Using Rachel Hauck’s minimal set, with not much more than a classroom blackboard, Mr. Leguizamo is an amusing mad professor, talking about how Hispanics fought in the American Revolutionary War and in the Civil War. He traces Latino people from the ancient Mayans all the way to up to what we have now, Pitbull.

There are many hysterical lines about how the European imperialists destroyed the indigenous peoples of the New World, particularly the Conquistadors with their many diseases and ravenous sexual appetites. The Spaniards, he says, were such predators of the native women of early Latin America that the guys were “like NBA players at a Kardashian pool party.”

Mr. Leguizamo also pokes fun at his Jewish wife and includes his trademark lampooning of his boyhood New York street life.

Besides the crisp writing, Mr. Leguizamo is most enjoyable when he’s imitating everything from friends and relatives to famous folks like Stephen Hawking and “Project Runway” host Tim Gunn. His portrayal of Montezuma as a fey, campy gay man perhaps comes across too much like his character Chi Chi Rodriguez in the drag-queen road movie To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar, but he has so much fun (as does the audience) that it doesn’t matter.

Granted, not everything works here, as some of the talks with his wife and son become tiresome, but director Tony Taccone allows Mr. Leguizamo free rein to do what he does best: Satirize history while bringing colorful characters to life with energy, wit and enthusiasm, making us all laugh about the delicate and controversial topic of diversity while showcasing the absurdity of bigotry and ignorance in American society.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 20, 2017
Reviewed at November 19, 2017 press performance.

‘LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS’: John Leguizamo. Photo: Matthew Murphy

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