I have not posted so far about any of the season's shows. Therefore, I have selected 21 on and off Broadway shows to review in short. I will be releasing these in daily drops of three, inside the time frame of Call Me Madam to Promenade. Please check back every day for 3 more. Today's reviews: Call Me Madam, Superhero, and Kiss Me, Kate.
CALL ME MADAM- 2/9
When this was announced as part of the 2019 Encores season, I know I was excited. However, I was hoping for someone with more star power than Carmen Cusack. While great in Bright Star, somehow the music of Steve Martin and the music of Irving Berlin didn’t seem comparable. Then, however, we got an extremely funny cast of character actors, among them Lauren Worsham, Randy Rainbow, Carol Kane, and Brad Oscar, who all gave the show a big lift. While Cusack sang and acted the role extremely well, she didn’t have the larger than life personality to carry off the entire role. The wonder bread Jason Gotay, while good, again wasn’t a standout. This left room for a political number as well as several short scenes to take over the show. It was definitely a mixed bag, but a fun mixed bag, if not an artistically pleasing one.
SUPERHERO- 2/10
This show was a standout of the season for me, and I was disappointed nothing happened with it. I thought the production was extremely moving, well-written, well-acted, and captivating. Bryce Pinkham as the superhero made the role interesting, suspenseful, and stole every scene he was in. Kate Baldwin as the mother gave a dynamite performance, and Tom Kitt wrote a moving anthem about loss, “Laundry for Two," that was a great vehicle for her. The dialogue is funny but never strained, and though the choreographic choices are occasionally faulty, the acting makes up for that. Kyle McArthur (full disclosure: he is my camp counselor) gave a stunningly complex debut performance. Thom Sesma, with the proper air of mystery, was a joy to watch. While the plot line was a bit cliched, and the other young performers weren’t so good, it was still a deeply moving show about recovery and family.
KISS ME, KATE-2/17, 4/14
A joyous romp from beginning to end. All the performances excelled without exception, and the frenetic dancing was really the highlight of the show. Will Chase’s operatic “Were Thine That Special Face” was one of the highlights of the show. And despite the fact that I saw Ms. O’Hara get her finger stuck in a door during “I Hate Men," she showed the meaning of trouper and went on through the whole show. Ms. Styles, as Bianca, gives a bubbly and charming performance, with great singing and acting skills to match. Corbin Bleu, though not a great actor, has dance skills that more than make up for it. I saw this show twice, and the second time, two numbers “Always True to You In My Fashion” and “Brush Up Your Shakespeare," had been cut down. Wise decisions? I think so. The two gangsters were simply not good enough to match the rest of the production (I did not see Richard Kind in it.) The choreography and direction on this show were truly awe-inspiring.
No comments:
Post a Comment