“Some Like It Hot” a modern day, good old-fashioned musical has arrived on Broadway at The Shubert Theatre, and it delivers on all levels, making for a very enjoyable evening of musical comedy. It is based on the motion picture of the same title, but the book by Matthew Lopez and Amber Ruffin is clever, witty, and updated to reflect…
Broadway has had quite a roster of juke box musicals grace the stage in the past and it seems that this season will add a few more to the archive. Opening at The Stephen Sondheim Theatre is “& Juliet” featuring music and lyrics by Max Martin and Friends and a book by David West Read. Songs from Mr. Martin’s repertoire…
There is an abundance of medical and anatomical references in “Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & The Pool” currently running at Lincoln Center Theater’s Vivian Beaumont Theater. Mr. Birbiglia’s affinity for medicine is often part of or the central theme in his stand-up comedy gigs around the nation. His particular interest in his own health is also pivotal to his…
Under Michael Arden’s meticulous direction, Jefferson Mays navigates through his adaptation (with Susan Lyons and Michael Arden) of the five staves of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” with the full arsenal of his impressive craft. In addition to the protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge, Mr. Mays portrays and reimagines fifty of Charles Dickens’ iconic characters with the full range of emotion from…
In heeding the advice mentor Lester Bangs gives young music journalist William Miller, the following comments will be “honest and unmerciful.” Fans of the movie “Almost Famous” released twenty-two years ago may have mixed feelings about the musical stage version now playing on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. On the one hand, book writer Cameron Crowe has religiously…
Some may say that Arthur Miller’s play “Death of a Salesman” may be the greatest play of the 20th century and there is evidence that supports that claim. It premiered on Broadway in 1949, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the TONY award for Best Play. The fifth Broadway revival is now playing at The Hudson Theatre starring Wendell…
Sometimes there is no reason to try and improve or change something which would adhere to the adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Adjusting, tweaking, or trying to improve things when they already work well, can spell disaster. By altering the original parts or embellishing the simplicity of the original, it may in fact complicate or confuse the…
In the current 20th anniversary production of “Topdog/Underdog,” Suzan Lori-Parks reminds the audience that when one does not receive unconditional and nonjudgmental love and chooses to disconnect from one’s cultural and family histories, things can and will go terribly wrong. From the first scene of the play currently running at the John Golden Theatre, it is evident that there is…
Applause Books is proud to announce the November 2022 release of Magic to Do (192 pages • 978-1-4930-6435-9• Hardback) by Elysa Gardner. In Magic to Do, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of Pippin’s opening, two-time Pulitzer Prize jury member Elysa Gardner turns her attention to this innovative show, the musical retelling of the story of Prince Pippin, son of Charlemagne,…
“Cost of living indexes are meant to compare the expenses an average person can expect to incur to acquire food, shelter, transportation, energy, clothing, education, healthcare, childcare, and entertainment in different regions.” – Investopedia The folks in Martyna Majok’s “Cost of Living,” currently running at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, are not “average people” and they experience the…