I was not prepared for this production, or maybe I was in some alternative low-expectation kind of way. I have never seen nor read this classic Eugene O’Neill play surprisingly, just heard talk of it from time to time. Usually the talk centers around the length and lethargic manner this room full of alcoholics and day-dreamers go about their business, or lack there of. It always sounds so tedious, and a long four hours. First premiering on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 9, 1946, the aura surrounding it, especially that last revival at BAM, starring Nathan Lane, never sent me running to the box office, but in the opposite direction. So on a gorgeously sunny and warm New York City spring day, I reluctantly entered the Jacobs Theatre on Broadway, holding my breath that the movie star, stage actor, and Tony Award winning Denzel Washington (Broadway’s Fences), an actor that I’ve never really gotten behind, was going to find some life in The Iceman Cometh. Surrounded by his fan base, and as directed by the formidable George C. Wolfe (Broadway’s Shuffle Along…), I was greeted, when the curtain went up, with a silhouette of comatose lost souls, passed out on table tops in a montage that did nothing to alleviate my dread.

The Iceman Cometh — The Company of THE ICEMAN COMETH. Photo by Julieta Cervantes.

But I was mislead. Because what happens over the next four hours (two intermissions and one short break) is a solidly contracted dance towards death, filled with engaging and deep performances from a cast of pros relishing and finding humor in every morsel and whiskey shot. There is barely a weak link in the lot, as these foolish old cannibals at the end of the line, rambling on about their often mentioned pipe dreams, never feels dull or disingenuous for a moment. I considered taking a swig of alcohol every time I heard the phrase ‘pipe dream’ uttered, but to be honest, I’d be as drunk as this lot by the first intermission. Don’t try it, I beseech you, as you’ll miss out on something much bigger and more powerful than anything I could have expected.

Starting with the phenomenal David Morse (How I Learned to Drive) as the core drunkard waiting for death to come with no answer to give to anyone. It’s hard to describe how someone floating in the last harbor of life can give a play its emotional center, but Morse manages to make his Larry Slade captivating while also being locked in a deathly loophole of whiskey. When a young man by the name of Don Parritt (Austin Butler), the teenage son of an anarchist from Slade’s past, desperate for redemption or condemnation of some sort, arrives at Harry Hope’s bar, he finds his father-figure slouched over a chair without much movement left in his bones. The dynamic between them is surreal, with Slade offering not an ounce of warmth or comfort for the lost young man, only a disengagement that is so layered, one can’t help but be intrigued. Bulter (Geffen Playhouse’s Death of the Author) struggles with a deep well of shame and guilt that he can’t shake, sadly struggles in the same way to find some emotional depth and clarity in the part. In Butler’s Parritt, we find the least authentic soul in this bar, but don’t waste your pity on the young man, to be in this cast of characters is an honor unto itself.

The rest of this jittery crew is made up of acting powerhouses, such as Colm Meaney (Young Vic’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) as Harry Hope, the widowed proprietor of the saloon and rooming house where the play takes place. Harry hasn’t left the bar since his wife died years ago, and he is joined at the table of boozy stagnation by his brother-in-law (brother of Hope’s late wife Bess), a con-man and former circus man played by the astounding and perfectly cast Bill Irwin (Old Hats, Broadway’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolff); and his other family member, Pat McGloin, the former police lieutenant who was convicted on criminal charges and kicked off the force portrayed effortlessly by the talented Jack McGee (“This Is Us”). Waking up as if electrocuted, the hypnotizing Neal Huff (Broadway’s Take Me Out) as the Harvard Law School alumnus, Willie Oban, shakes and rattles around the stage desperate for a drink and a direction. He is greeted and engaged by Joe Mott, the former proprietor of a gambling house and the token black man in the bar, played hilariously wise by Michael Potts (Broadway’s Jitney). Hiding in the corner is a band of misfit military men, General Piet Wetjoen, the former leader of a Boer commando, played solidly by Dakin Matthews (Broadway’s Waitress); his rival and best friend, Captain Cecil Lewis, the former Captain of British infantry, played regally by the wonderfully delicious Frank Wood (LCT’s The Babylon Line); and the former Boer War correspondent, the perfectly named Jimmy Tomorrow, played miraculously by Reg Rogers (Public’s Privacy), nicknamed thus as he constantly daydreams about getting his old job back again tomorrow, if only he would iron his suit. He is not the only one who shares this dream, and last but not least in this band of drunken princes in the palace of pipe dreams, is the wonderful Clark Middleton (The Golem) as the former editor of an anarchist periodical, Hugo Kalmar, who comes in and out like a liquored-up cuckoo clock spouting lines from the Old Testament and theoretic political guidebooks almost on the hour, or so it seems. They all resonate and vibrate at such a high level of detached lockjaw that their drunkenness is somehow energizing and we can not look away.

ct-ae-iceman-jones-0429 — David Morse, Colm Meanery, Danny McCarthy, Denzel Washington.Photo by Julieta Cervantes.

This cast of characters, all superbly delineated and orchestrated around Harry’s downtown saloon; designed impeccably by Santo Loquasto (Broadway’s Hello, Dolly!), with ingeniously drab lighting by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer (Broadway’s Once On This Island), dingy and perfect costumes by Ann Roth (Broadway’s Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women), with a solid sound design by Dan Moses Schreier (Broadway’s American Psycho), are served up shots of moonshine by the night bartender, Rocky Pioggi, played wisely and crassly by Danny McCarthy (Broadway’s Grace). Paid very little by Harry, he makes most of his money in the guise of a ‘pimp‘, a term he hates, managing the two street-walkers, Pearl (Carolyn Braver) and Margie (Nina Grollman). Braver (MTC/Steppenwolf’s Airline Highway) and Grollman (Public’s The Winter’s Tale) serve up these two prostitutes impeccably, filling the space with a rough sense of dark humor in every giggly moment, preferring the professional title of “tart” over the despised “whore“. They gleefully live in a land of make-believe, not so much dreaming of a tomorrow that will never come, but ignoring the reality of the here and now. Just like the day bartender Chuck Morello, played sharply by Danny Mastrogiorgio (Broadway’s The Front Page) and his forever fiancé and street-walker, Cora, portrayed with perfection by the magnificent Tammy Blanchard (Tony nominated for Broadway’s Gypsy with Bernadette Peters), they gingerly step around the obvious, pretend living in a future farmhouse in New Jersey, one that will never blossom or grow one stalk of anything real.

The group all talk the talk of tomorrow, enjoying the fantasy of the pipe dream, without ever making that step forward. They sit drinking down another drink, each one making the procrastination of the doing stronger. Tonight on the eve of Harry’s birthday, they are waiting for the life of the party, a traveling salesman by the name of Hickey, to arrive, much like the two hobos waiting for the mystical Godot. The reminisce about his funny sad stories of his wife’s infidelity with the Iceman, laughing and drinking now that they have something to look forward to. And as the piano tinkers in the background (a wonderful Larry Yurman), in he walks, the movie star and Tony winning actor, Denzel Washington. The actor and the character are greeting with adoration and excitement by all on stage and off. “Bring on the rat poison“, as the crowd is ready for another night of drinking and ignoring the world, but this is not the Hickey they have been eagerly waiting for. He is a changed man, and as brilliantly as the set changes from one act to the next, the mood in the room alters. Hickey’s Revolution has begun, putting everyone on edge as Washington’s miraculous salesman starts “freeing” their souls with the truth. The bar starts to look brighter, more festive and grand, but the cast of characters seem to be darker, as if they are all walking to a funeral. Selling them on their own fantasies, but with an added sense of urgency and purpose, Hickey shows us all that he is a salesman down to his hidden shaken core. There is a secret though, we all know; a reason that Hickey has woken to a new world of sobriety and action, one that needs to be revealed, and Morse’s Slade will not be pushed forward into this new day without finding out where this momentous change has come from. With the keys being collected by Rocky, and the tables emptied, the real stuff that crucifies gets laid bare, and although Parritt’s sad side story gets lost a bit in Washington’s dramatic confession, The Iceman does eventually cometh. It’s a big commitment, this Iceman, but worth every hour. I’m not sure his fan base was prepared for the depth that this Cometh brought forth, as many started to filter out as soon as Washington made his exit, and before the delicious ending of a pretty near perfect revival of this O’Neill classic. It’s a shame, as they missed out on the whole package, filling themselves up only on the dream.

For more go to frontmezzjunkies.com

Up Next

The 74th Annual Theatre World Awards Is An Afternoon Delight Honoring Victor Garber

Don't Miss

Katharine McPhee and The Cast of Broadway’s Waitress Perform Sara Bareilles to Benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS

Ross

My love for theater started when I first got involved in high school plays and children's theatre in London, Ontario, which led me—much to my mother’s chagrin—to study set design, directing, and arts administration at York University in Toronto. But rather than pursuing theater as a career (I did produce and design a wee bit), I became a self-proclaimed theater junkie and life-long supporter. I am not a writer by trade, but I hope to share my views and feelings about this amazing experience we are so lucky to be able to see here in NYC, and in my many trips to London, Enlgand, Chicago, Toronto, Washington, and beyond. Living in London, England from 1985 to 1986, NYC since 1994, and on my numerous theatrical obsessive trips to England, I've seen as much theater as I can possibly afford. I love seeing plays. I love seeing musicals. If I had to choose between a song or a dance, I'd always pick the song. Dance—especially ballet—is pretty and all, but it doesn’t excite me as, say, Sondheim lyrics. But that being said, the dancing in West Side Story is incredible! As it seems you all love a good list, here's two. FAVORITE MUSICALS (in no particular order): Sweeney Todd with Patti Lupone and Michael Cerveris in 2005. By far, my most favorite theatrical experience to date. Sunday in the Park with George with Jenna Russell (who made me sob hysterically each and every one of the three times I saw that production in England and here in NYC) in 2008 Spring Awakening with Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele in 2007 Hedwig and the Angry Inch (both off-Boadway in 1998 and on Broadway in 2014, with Neal Patrick Harris, but also with Michael C. Hall and John Cameron Mitchell, my first Hedwig and my last...so far), Next To Normal with Alice Ripley (who I wish I had seen in Side Show) in 2009 FAVORITE PLAYS (that’s more difficult—there have been so many and they are all so different): Angels in American, both on Broadway and off Lettice and Lovage with Dame Maggie Smith and Margaret Tyzack in 1987 Who's Afraid of Virginai Woolf with Tracy Letts and Amy Morton in 2012 Almost everything by Alan Ayckbourn, but especially Woman in Mind with Julia McKenzie in 1986 And to round out the five, maybe Proof with Mary Louise Parker in 2000. But ask me on a different day, and I might give you a different list. These are only ten theatre moments that I will remember for years to come, until I don’t have a memory anymore. There are many more that I didn't or couldn't remember, and I hope a tremendous number more to come. Thanks for reading. And remember: read, like, share, retweet, enjoy. For more go to frontmezzjunkies.com

Broadway

Theatre News: Wicked, Kimberly Akimbo, Alice in Neverland and Ballad of Dreams, The Night of the Iguana and Ode To The Wasp Woman

Published

1 day ago

October 3, 2023

Suzanna Bowling

On Monday, October 30^th, the blockbuster musical Wicked will celebrate its 20^th Anniversary on Broadway, a milestone achieved by only three other Broadway productions in history. To commemorate this landmark, Wicked is partnering with several national organizations to celebrate all things Oz.

Additional Wicked celebrations, including cast appearances, New York City food and drink collaborations, and special events throughout the month of October, will be announced in the coming weeks.

A KIND OF RECIPE BOOK. FOR CHANGE…

In celebration of Wicked’s 20th Anniversary on Broadway, Moleskine has created a beautiful Wicked-inspired 20^th Anniversary notebook that can be purchased in theatre, Moleskine Direct channels, and with several Moleskine wholesale partners, beginning October 23rd. This limited-edition notebook will inspire Wicked fans to put pen to paper (following in the footsteps of Wicked novelist Gregory Maguire and book writer Winnie Holzman) to bring their own stories to life.

PINK GOES GOOD WITH GREEN…

Hill House Home, a New York-based fashion brand founded by Nell Diamond, worked closely with Wicked’s Tony Award-winning costume designer, Susan Hilferty, to create a Wicked-inspired Nap Dress™ collection in honor of the show’s 20th anniversary. The collection will include two adult dresses and two children’s dresses inspired by the characters Glinda and Elphaba. The styles will be available for purchase online and in Hill House’s store at Rockefeller Center toward the end of the year.

LIKE A HANDPRINT ON MY HEART…

Little Words Project, which started in 2013 in founder Adriana Carrig’s parents’ basement, creates handcrafted word bracelets with messages of kindness and love that aim to support women and to remind us to be kind to one another. In the past ten years, the company has become a worldwide brand with an extremely engaged and loyal community of fans. This fall, Little Words Project is partnering with Wicked to create four exclusive bracelets inspired by the unique friendship between Elphaba and Glinda. The collection will be featured in all nine Little Words retail stores across the country. To honor 20 years on Broadway, Little Words Project has designed Wicked-inspired bracelets. Little Words Project creates handcrafted bracelets, each with an inspirational word displayed on the beads. The bracelets – in the spirit of the “pay it forward” movement – are meant to uplift the wearer, and then be passed on to someone else who needs them more. The Wicked bracelets are inspired by Glinda and Elphaba, who helped uplift one another through their friendship; they will feature the words “Wicked,” “Unlimited,” “Defy Gravity,” and “For Good.”

WHAT’S THE MOST SWANKIFIED PLACE IN TOWN?

Beginning October 6^th, WICKED fans can indulge in the elegance of The Plaza Hotel’s Wicked–themed Afternoon Tea at The Plaza’s famed Palm Court Restaurant. The “Defying Gravi-tea” will feature special sweet and savory delights, like the “Look To The Brest’ern Sky” pate a choux, or the “Flying Monkey” Macaron. Under the Palm Court’s iconic dome, which will be lit Emerald Green, guests can also enjoy The Palm Court’s mixologists’ most Wicked cocktails in high Plaza fashion. The venue will be adorned with emerald-green accents, glittering with hints of emerald and black, paying homage to Wicked’s beloved story.

The Plaza is also offering “The Emerald City Experience,” which includes a stay at The Plaza, as well as tickets to the special 20th anniversary “Green Performance” of Wicked on October 29^th, the Wicked-themed Afternoon Tea, a Playbill signed by the full company, and house car transportation to the Gershwin Theatre. For details, pls visit The Emerald City Experience | The Plaza (theplazany.com)

ONE SHORT DAY, FULL OF SO MUCH TO DO…

Capital One became Wicked’s official Credit Card Partner in May of this year, marking the first time the company has partnered with a Broadway musical. Eligible Capital One cardholders had pre-sale access to tickets for the anniversary performances on October 29^th and 30^th. Cardholders were also able to gain entry to exclusive events taking place at the Museum of Broadway during Wicked’s Anniversary weekend, featuring alumnae Brittney Johnson and Kara Lindsay, available only on Capital One Entertainment.

TWO BEST FRIENDS…

American Girl, known for helping girls grow up with courage, confidence, and strength of character, has teamed up with Wicked to celebrate their 2023 Girl of the Year™, Kavi Sharma™. Kavi is an Indian American girl growing up in New Jersey who loves singing, dancing, and performing with her friends. Her favorite Broadway show is Wicked and American Girl has designed special Wicked costumes for Kavi to celebrate her love of the musical.

Hear Your Song – a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering young people with serious illnesses and complex health needs through collaborative songwriting – continues its partnership with Broadway’s Tony-award winning show Kimberly Akimbo with a special concert at Green Room 42 on November 12th at 7 pm. You can find tickets to the in-person concert and livestream alongside more details here.

In this evening of songs and performances from both Kimberly Akimbo and Hear Your Song, Broadway company members sing alongside youth songwriters to showcase the score of Kimberly Akimbo and a treasure trove of songs written by kids who, in a lot of ways, have a lot in common with Kimberly. There will be performances by Kimberly Akimbo company members, such as Tony nominee Justin Cooley, Alli Mauzey, Betsy Morgan, Miguel Gil and Alex Vinh, as well as children and teens from Hear Your Song.

Within this partnership, Hear Your Song participants had the opportunity to develop their own songs and gain a deeper understanding of the songwriting process through a songwriting masterclass led by Kimberly Akimbo’s creators, composer Jeanine Tesori and lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire. 16-year-old Hannah, who will be performing at the concert, is an accomplished youth songwriter living with Crohn’s Disease. She shared her songs with Tesori and Lindsay-Abaire in a virtual masterclass in March.

Hear Your Song’s mission is to provide a platform for youth to share their experiences and perspectives through the art of songwriting. By partnering with members of the Kimberly Akimbo team, Hear Your Song is able to offer a unique opportunity for young people living with serious illnesses to be heard by a wide audience as they learn from professionals in the industry and gain valuable skills and experience.

All of Hear Your Song’s programming is free of charge for youth and families. Please visit www.hearyoursong.org to learn more about how to get involved and donate to support hundreds of youth songwriters like Hannah.
A sequel to one of the most beloved stories of all time, Lewis Carrol’s “Alice in Wonderland,” and a prequel to J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan,” the new musical Alice in Neverland took place. The cast was led by Allie Seibold, Heath Saunders (Company), Kyle Selig (Mean Girls), Grace McLean (Bad Cinderella), Courtnee Carter (Parade) and Rob Colletti (Almost Famous).

Growing older and obsessed with her memories of Wonderland, Alice embarks on the daring journey to recapture youth – including the sacrifices that might be required to never grow up.

Alice in Neverland features book, music and lyrics by Phil Kenny and Reston Williams, director Catie Davis (Beetlejuice, Moulin Rouge), music director Kris Kukul(Beetlejuice), and general manager Joey Monda (Sing Out, Louise! Productions). The reading is being presented by six-time Tony Award® winning production team 42nd.club (& Juliet, Hadestown, Moulin Rouge).

Rounding out the reading cast are Travis Artz, Bobby Daye (Moulin Rouge), LaVon Fisher-Wilson (Chicago), Mia Gerachis, Stephanie Gibson (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Donnie Hammond, Benjamin Henderson, Eddie Korbich (The Music Man), Garth Kravits (Gettin’ the Band Back Together), Elliott Mattox (Beetlejuice), Tiffany Mann (Be More Chill), Adelina Mitchell, Chase Petersen, Honor Blue Savage, and Emmet Smith.

Based on the best-selling novel, Ballad of Dreams a new musical, will get an invite-only industry presentation on October 12, 2023, at Pearl Studios.

Inspired by a true story, a love letter to New York City, Ballad of Dreams illuminates the struggle of two resilient women fighting for their place in the glittering world of 1940’s theater, chasing the dream of being a performer and being a mother. Against insurmountable odds they must confront the universal question faced by women of every era: can we truly have it all?

Audrey McKenna, a vibrant grandmother and mother of thirteen, is confronted with the unfulfilled dreams of her youth to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City, circa WW2. With the help of her best friend Rose, they each journey in discovering love, their own identities, and independence as women in a time when society tried to define that for them.

The cast includes Hunter Parrish (Broadway: To Kill a Mockingbird, Showtime’s “Weeds”), Erin Davie (Broadway: Diana, The Musical, Sunday in the Park with George), Nicholas Rodriguez (Broadway: Company), Allyson Hernandez (Off-Broadway: If This Hat Could Talk), Robb Sapp (Broadway: The Lion King, Wicked), Alan H. Green (Broadway: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Sharon Wheatley (Broadway: Come From Away), Neal Mayer (Broadway: Les Misérables), Emily Walton (Broadway: Come From Away), Elizabeth Bedley (Regional: A Chorus Line), Noah Wolfe (Regional: A Little Night Music), Laura Sky Herman (National Tour: Hello, Dolly!), Emily Jewel Hoder (Broadway: The Music Man) and Charlie Carroccio (Film:The 12 Days of Christmas Eve), with Harmony Harris (Associate Director), Jamibeth Margolis, CSA (Casting) LDK Productions (General Manager).

For more information on Ballad of Dreams, please visit www.BalladofDreams.com La Femme Theatre Productions (Jean Lichty, Executive Director), renowned for its dedication to showcasing the diverse female experience, is set to illuminate the Off-Broadway stage this season with an evocative 21st century production of Tennessee Williams’s timeless masterpiece, The Night of the Iguana. Under the direction of Tony Award nominee, Emily Mann , this production will star Emmy Nominee Tim Daly (Broadway: The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. TV: “The Sopranos,” “Madam Secretary,” “Wings’), Tony Award – Winner Daphne Rubin-Vega (Broadway: Rent, Anna in the Tropics), Drama Desk nominee Lea DeLaria(Netflix “Orange Is the New Black.” Broadway: POTUS) , Tony nominee Austin Pendleton (Broadway: Between Riverside and Crazy, The Minutes) , and Jean Lichty(Off-Broadway: La Femme’s A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur, The Traveling Lady ). It will begin performances on December 6 in advance of its opening on December 17. It will run through February 25, 2024 at The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street, Jim Houghton Way) . The Night of the Iguana is not a production of Signature Theatre.

Sean Young (Blade Runner, Fatal Instinct) in Ode To The Wasp Woman, a new play by Rider McDowell (The Mercy Man, Wimbledon). The limited 13-week Off-Broadway engagement will play October 30, 2023 through January 31, 2023, at The Actors Temple Theatre (339 W. 47th St, NYC). Opening night is Thursday, November 9 at 7:30PM. Tickets are now on sale at Telecharge.com.

Ode To The Wasp Woman chronicles the last 48 hours in the lives of four 1950’s B movie stars; Susan Cabot, leading lady of the Roger Corman’s cult classic The Wasp Woman; George Reeves, the man who brought Superman to life on TV screens across America; Carl ‘Alfalfa’ Switzer of the beloved “Our Gang” comedies; B-movie queen Barbara Payton. The desperate and sensational events that lead to the demise of these four fallen stars are told in four one acts with music, a veritable homage to film noir and true crime.

Rider McDowell directs Sean Young as Susan Cabot, leading a company of actors, To be announced, portraying George ‘Superman’ Reeves, Carl ‘Alfalfa’ Switzer, and B-movie queen Barbara Payton.

Broadway

Ossie Davis’s Purlie Victorious Is A Satire On Fire

Published

2 days ago

October 2, 2023

Suzanna Bowling

The cast of Ossie Davis’s 961 satire Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch, is helmed by Leslie Odom Jr. as a conniving preacher with a conscience and made into comic genius by Kara Young. This revival brings humor against a prejudice South whose injustices were a crime against humanity. They say that all good comedy is bore out of pain and this show aims to fight historic injustice with laughter.

Leslie Odom, Jr Photo by Marc J. Franklin

The play tells the fictional story of Reverend Purlie Victorious Judson (Leslie Odom, Jr.), a dynamic traveling preacher who has returned to his hometown in rural Georgia, to save his small hometown church Big Bethel. He left due to a brutal whipping by the land owner Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee (Jay O. Sanders) twenty years, but has come back to save his church, and emancipate the cotton pickers who work on oppressive Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee’s plantation. He has brought with him Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins (the adorable Kara Young), to impersonate his long-lost cousin, Bee, and trick Ol’ Cap’n into handing over a five-hundred-dollar inheritance that he owes the family.

Kara Young Photo by Marc J. Franklin

To pull off this scheme he needs the help of his sister-in-law Missy (Heather Alicia Simms) and his brother, Gitlow (Billy Eugene Jones) who is the Cap’n’s main singing and shuffling work hand.

Kara Young and Heather Alicia Simms Photo by Marc J. Franklin

However thanks to another Black member of Ol’ Cap’n’s household Idella (Vanessa Bell Calloway), who raised Ol’ Cap’n’s son, Charlie (Noah Robbins), as if he were her own, does the church and Purlie get saved with a brave act of defiance.

Noah Robbins and Vanessa Bell Calloway Photo by Marc J. Franklin

Davis wrote and performed this play at the height of the Civil Rights Era, when Martin Luther King, Jr. words were having an impact. He even attended the show.

Leslie Odom, Jr. and Kara Young Photo by Marc J. Franklin

Kenny Leon keeps this show at a fast pace, with wit and sarcastic humor abounding. He brings his exceptional cast to peak performances. Odom, Jr. (Hamilton’s original Aaron Burr), inhabits this preacher with conviction, fighting for justice and the rights of his people. Jones (Fat Ham and On Sugarland), brings a charm to Gitlow as he embodies those who had to bow low just to survive. Simms and Calloway ground the show with warmth and maternal longing. O. Sanders plays the Cap’n looking like a Tall Colonel Sanders, but sounding like Foghorn Leghorn. He is as amusing, as frightening as it is to look at the past. Playing his son, Robbins offers the hope of seeing and righting the wrongs. But it is Young (Cost of Living, Clyde’s) who walks away with her remarkable performance. Completely and utterly in love with Purlie, Young is a whirlwind of emotions and physical comedy. She is big and broad, all in one petite compact body. When she comes to tell of the misjustice done to her by the Cap’n she has us in the palms of her hands.

Leslie Odom, Jr. and Kara Young Photo by Marc J. Franklin

Purlie in a word is victorious.

Kara Young, Heather Alicia Simms, Leslie Odom, Jr., Vanessa Bell Calloway, Billy Eugene Jones, and Noah Robbins Photo by Marc J. Franklin

Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch, Music Box Theatre, 239 West 45th Street, until January 7th.

Broadway

Barry Manilow’s and Bruce Sussman’s Harmony Meets The Press Part 3

Published

2 days ago

October 2, 2023

Suzanna Bowling

We told you how the cast and creative’s met the press. Then we played you some of the songs from the show. Today we’ll introduce you to the cast.

Barry Manilow, Bruce Sussman

First up The Harmonists; Sean Bell, Danny Kornfeld, Zal Owen, Eric Peters, Blake Roman and Steven Telsey

The vocally winning Sierra Boggess was next on our list.

Chip Zien and director/choreographer Warren Carlyle shared insights.

Finally Julie Benko, Allison Semmes and Andrew O’Shanick.

Harmony begins previews at the Barrymore Theatre on Wednesday, October 18, ahead of a Monday, November 13 official opening night.

Broadway

Melissa Etheridge My Window A Rock Goddess Spiritual Journey

Published

4 days ago

September 30, 2023

Suzanna Bowling

Oscar and Grammy winner Melissa Etheridge’s autobiographical musical My Window is an informative, riveting, raw, intimate and musically thrilling alsmost 3 hours of entertainment. With 22 albums to her name, Etheridge is a female rock goddess and is on par with Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Ann Wilson, Grace Slick, Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, Stevie Nicks, Debbie Harry and the incomparable Janis Joplin.

I originally saw this show when it opened at New World Stages almost a year ago and Etheridge’s theatrical solo show has only gotten better and tighter. She invites theatergoers into an exhilarating evening of storytelling and music. Starting with her birth, we learn about her childhood in Kansas, groundbreaking career highlights, coming out, her lovers, the drugs she has taken, her spiritual journey, her wives, her kids, cancer and what makes Melissa who she is. She is charming, revealing, illuminating as she bares her heart & soul to all who attend.

Photo by Jenny Anderson

In between learning about this bluesy warrior are her confessional lyrics, the raspy, smoky vocals and classics numbers like “Like The Way I Do,” “Twisted Off To Paradise,”“I’m the Only One,” “Come to My Window,” “I Want to Come Over”.

Photo by Jenny Anderson

Winning a tiny trophy gave way to winning a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocalist in 1998 and again in 1995. Before that in 1993 Etheridge came out publicly, early on in her career. In 2005 Etheridge took the Grammy stage after having cancer to join in a tribute to Janis Joplin. She appeared hairless. Etheridge also won an Oscar for Best Original Song in 2007 for “I Need To Wake Up” for the film “An Inconvenient Truth.”

Photo by Jenny Anderson

It turns out Etheridge has always loved musical theatre, as she treated us to a wonderful rendition of “On Broadway.” She did make her Broadway debut in a weeklong stint as St. Jimmy in Green Day’s American Idiot in 2011, but she doesn’t talk about that.

Melissa Etheridge My Window, is wonderfully is written by Etheridge with additional material by Linda Wallem-Etheridge (“Nurse Jackie” showrunner, “That ’70s Show”). The direction by Amy Tinkham is succent and well done.

Everything about this production is well done from the scenic design by Bruce Rodgers, lighting design by Abigail Rosen Holmes, fabulous projection design by Olivia Sebesky and the sound design by Shannon Salmon, which keeps this show clear and clean.

Kate Owens is hysterical as the Roadie/ Stage Manager. This little girl is a star in the making with her rubber face and facial expressions galore. She adds to this show immensely and I definitely want to see more of what she can do.

This is a must see show for anyone LGBTQIA. The message is positive and life affirming. This is a women who owns her talent, charisma and choices, which makes this a joy to watch.

Photo by Jenny Anderson

Melissa Etheridge My Window: Circle In The Square, 235 West 50th Street. Closes November 19th.

Broadway

Barry Manilow’s and Bruce Sussman’s Harmony Meets The Press Part 2

Published

5 days ago

September 29, 2023

Suzanna Bowling

Yesterday we told you how the cast and creative’s met the press.

The cast and creatives

In today’s edition hear director Warren Carlyle, Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman describe their show.

Then it was a treat as the cast sang 5 songs from the show. Including “Harmony,” Hungarian Rhapsody,” “Where You Go’ and “Stars in the Night.”

Hear The Harmonists Sean Bell, Danny Kornfeld, Zal Owen, Eric Peters, Blake Roman and Steven Telsey, along with Chip Zien, Sierra Boggess and Julie Benko.