Archive for the 'Perez Reviews' Category

What drives someone to spend 5 years developing a show? The answer is clearly… passion! And that passion for the subject material - both the person and the songs - is clear in Forever Dusty, a new biographical musical about the late Dusty Springfield by the very gifted Kirsten Holly Smith.

Smith not only wrote the script, but she also portrays the iconic singer in the show.

Kirsten does an expert job at acting the role and not being an impersonator. Plus, her singing is SPOT-on!

She is joined by an equally ace cast and one almost steals her spotlight, the phenomal in her multiple roles Christina Sajous.

If you like Jersey Boys, then you will love Forever Dusty! Songs you know and a life story that is told with equal parts humor and heart!

We already want to see it again!

Giant was one of the shows we were most looking forward to seeing during our extended stay in New York City, and it also ended up being one of our biggest letdowns.

Sigh.

They can't all be winners!

The musical, a stage adaptation of the iconic film/book, is currently playing at The Public Theater. It has music and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa, whose Wild Party is one of our favorite musicals. Unfortunately, the songs are the Achilles heel of Giant. They are mediocre and meander. Barely memorable and not specific.

Set in Texas during the early 20th century, the musical fails to capture the sonic landscape of that era and area. What could have been a rich tapestry of Mexican, American, Mexican-American and Tejano songs instead was very average musical theater filler. Generic and uninspired.

And LaChiusa's lackluster score was not helped by the bookwriter Sybille Pearson's script. The show was long and it FELT long!

There were too many distractions and too many puzzling moments. "Why did they feel the need to do that?," we kept asking ourselves. Like when the protagonist's sister dies and then comes back in Act 2 to sing a duet with him.

REALLY????

That did not happen in the movie or book - and it didn't need to happen in the musical!

The one saving grace Giant has is its female lead. Kate Baldwin delivers a masterful and MUST-see performance in the Elizabeth Taylor role. Kate Baldwin is a superstar!!!!

We have literally seen AT LEAST over 40 shows since we've been in New York City, and Kate Baldwin in Giant delivers the most spectacular performance we have seen in anything - musical or play. She is not acting in this role. She is being. She is more than present! She's living and giving and transcending the tepid source material. If this were on Broadway, she would win the Tony!

And her voice! Oh, that voice! So exquisite! Soaring! Angelic! With bottom! And soul! STUNNING!

We recommend seeing Giant just for her performance alone! Baldwin is so good, in fact, that she makes everybody else look bad! No one rises to her level - or anywhere near!

Like a good porn film, The Performers is fast and furious! The new Broadway comedy, about the world of adult films, has lots of laughs and a great cast, but - like a good porn film - there's not much else there.

After the show was over, we were left asking: "What was the takeaway?" There isn't much! It's just like an extended sitcom. 90 minutes - without an intermission.

While it won't change your life, The Performers is lots of fun! Plenty of fluff and stuff! Laughs, shirtlessnes, pantslessness, and great performances from a cast that includes Alicia Silverstone and Henry Winkler!

The two standouts, though, were Cheyenne Jackson as the hunky porn star with the heart of gold, Mandrew, and Ari Graynor, who gives a star-making performance and steals the show as Mandrew's porn star wife. From his great accent to his uber heteroness, Jackson created a fully-fleshed and engaging character that was very different from anything we've seen him do before. And Graynor was just splendid; comically brilliant and dramatically vulnerable!

Silverstone and Winkler gave solid performances, and Alicia sparkled when they let her character have more fun - by getting her drunk. Jenni Barber was also effective, but Daniel Breaker was clueless as the reporter. Bad pun intended. He, unfortunately, was the weakest link in the otherwise great cast.

With a title like Murder Ballad, you'd expect that that show to be HIGH STAKES! Unfortunately, the musical currently playing at Manhattan Theater Club does not live up to its title. Complicated Love Story would have been a more appropriate title and worked more in the show's favor.

Murder Ballad has a lot going for it, but it also has a lot that hinders the production.

The choice to make the show completely sung through - like an opera - made it really difficult to connect with the characters and their motivations. If the show is ever done again, we'd strongly suggest adding a book!

The best thing Murder Ballad has going for it are the songs - by Juliana Nash and Julia Jordon. And for a musical, the songs being your strongest attribute is a really good thing! Having said that, though, while the songs are really really good - they did start to sound a bit the same. And, with no dialogue, the songs started to blend into one long song. In addition to adding dialogue, we'd recommend future incarnations of the show have a band with more instruments and different/better orchestrations.

The cast, featuring Will Swenson and Karen Olivo, all delivered solid performances. And, especially enjoyable was the direction by Trip Cullman and his use of the great and intimate theater space, as well as the choreography by Doug Varone.

If you're a fan of Jason Robert Brown and his sensibility and go into Murder Ballad with that in mind, then you will find the show a very enjoyable experience!

The Mystery Of Edwin Drood is THE MOST FUN we have had in a Broadway theater this season!

We knew nothing about The Mystery Of Edwin Drood other than it was a musical with a stellar cast and we wanted to see the show.

A period piece and a thriller were what we thought we were getting into, but instead we got a slapstick comedy that was experiential AND an experience!

Based on the unfinished Charles Dickens novel, the musical version of the story is inspired by but not a complete retelling. It varies from the book in that the stage show is much more lighthearted. A full-on comedy!

It is like The Pirates Of Penzance meets Victoria/Victoria and Spamalot, except Drood preceded those last two shows.

What makes Drood so great is the comedy and the fun twist that the audience gets to help solve "the mystery". The songs, while not bad, are almost secondary.

In an unusual move, the show was written completely by Rupert Holmes, from music to lyrics to book to even orchestrations. And, little tidbit, Holmes is the dude who wrote and recorded the #1 hit Escape (The Piña Colada Song) in 1979. For Drood, he won multiple Tony Awards when the show debuted in 1985 with Betty Buckley leading the cast as the titular character.

The Roundabout Theater's current production is the first time the show is being revived on Broadway and it featured the most exceptional cast on Broadway at the moment, with the sensational and mega talented Stephanie J. Block as Drood.

Block was splendid - as was almost every other member of the cast.

The most enjoyable, for us, to watch were Andy Karl as Neville Landless, Jim Norton as the Chairman, and Jessie Mueller as Helena Landless - all of whom were so insanely funny and vocally enthralling.

Most exquisite to hear, though, was Betsy Wolfe as Rosa Bud. She has the voice of an angel!

Chita Rivera is an icon, a legend and Broadway royalty, but also the weakest link in Drood. She's 79 years old and BLESS HER for still getting up there and strutting her stuff, but she felt lost in the show. Her voice was fine; it was her character choices and acting that were not up to par with the rest of the cast. Also, it's definitely a bit jarring when you sound like you're from New York when you're supposed to be from England.

And, also, Peter Benson also underwhelmed as the actor who wants to be the star but just isn't good enough. Or, maybe he was really playing the part too well!

So much of Drood's success relies on the performances, and the fact that almost every single actor delivered an A+ performance means the casting folks are really good and the director, Scott Ellis, deserves major congrats.

The rest of the production team did a very fine job, most notably William Ivey Long for the fabulous costumes!

Oh, and to get to see the show at Studio 54 was such a sweet treat! Bonus!

We were expecting a BIG Christmas show when we went to Elf on Broadway. And we got that and much much more!

Under the expert direction of Casey Nicholaw, who also did Book Of Mormon, Elf featured huge sets and lots of spectacle - from ice skating on stage to snowing in the theater!

A stellar cast brings the beloved film to life on stage, but the two standouts were Leslie Kritzer as Jovie, the female love interest, and she brings the house down in Act II with her powerhouse vocals in her showstopping number, and also - kinda stealing the show - Mitchell Sink, the little boy with big voice who plays Elf's little brother.

BUT….

What we loved the most about Elf was the music! Perhaps because we read that the same team did The Wedding Singer on Broadway, we had really low expectations. But Elf featured some top-notch song! Truly memorable! A+!

Elf is a family show that appeals to all ages and will give you lots of bang for your buck! It's everything we love about big Broadway shows! It's a must-see!

We had never seen Annie on stage before, and we're sure glad we caught the new Broadway revival of the hit musical! It's as if we saw the original production!

That's our only big complaint with the show. James Lapine's direction felt uninspired. By the books. Dated. Phoned in. Safe.

Having said that, the music is so splendid to hear and every single performance was a winner!

Lilla Crawford had a lot to live up to in the titular role. And she DELIVERED! In a big way! That little girl is such a dynamo! Truly sensation! She has a powerhouse voice trapped in her little body! Awe-inspiring! Her acting was so present and beautiful. Our only critique was the sometimes "New Yawk" accent she delivered, and we attribute blame Lapine for that choice.

Katie Finneran was great as Miss Hannigan, as was Anthony Warlow as Daddy Warbucks - and the rest of the cast. Even the dog! That damn Sandy was such a scene stealer! And so was Emily Rosenfeld!

And, just like Lapine's direction, the set design - by David Korins - felt rather stale and boring.

However, Annie is a recipe you can't fuck up!

Hopefully, though, the next Broadway revival will be inspired and exciting! This one is fun and heartwarming!