All tag results for 'perez reviews'

Scarlett Johnasson stars in the new Broadway revival of the Tennessee Williams classic Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, but it is Benjamin Walker in the role of drunkard son Brick that steals the show.

In many ways Cat was ahead of it's time. In addition to exploring the topics of mortality, truthfulness and family complexity, Williams also touched upon homosexual themes in Cat, long before it was cool to do so. And, though it still feels relevant, the show could have benefited from some major trimming. It clocks in at almost three hours!

Walker, who played the titular role in Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, is electric on stage! Unfortunately, the same can not be said for Johansson, who is returning to Broadway after previously having won the Tony Award for her role in a revival of Arthur Miller's A View From The Bridge.

While native New Yorker Johansson may have been a good fit for Miller, for Williams she attempted a Southern accent that just did not work and was distracting for the entire show. Plus, the role of Maggie is so iconically associated with Elizabeth Taylor. An actress needs to really be on her A game with that part, and ScarJo was not.

Debra Monk, on the other hand, was the show's other standout as Big Mama.

Long, yes, but this new revival of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof is definitely worth seeing!

[Image via WENN.]

Tags: broadway, cat on a hot tin roof, perez hilton, perez reviews, play, scarlett johansson, tennessee williams

Picnic is in it's final days on Broadway, and if you haven't seen it yet - go and buy your tickets NOW for the new revival of William Inge's classic play! It's a love story very akin to Dirty Dancing, only with a lot less dancing.

It is a must see, and not only for Sebastian Stan's abs!

We now officially stan for Stan! He's not just a pretty boy! He shines in the role of the bad boy grifter who comes to town and turns everything on its head!

Sebastian, best known for his work on television, is a natural on the stage, having appeared on Broadway before in Talk Radio. And he is so good that he makes dialogue that could come across as cheesy seem not just convincing but IMPORTANT!

He woos costar Maggie Grace from Lost in the play, and he woos and wins over the audience as well!

And did we mention she's shirtless for most of the show????????? We could barely contain ourselves!

Grace gives a solid performance, as does acting icon Ellen Burstyn and the rest of the cast. But this is Stan's show to make or break, and he hits a grandslam!!!

Tags: broadway, gossip girl, hot dudes, once upon a time, perez hilton, perez reviews, picnic, play, sebastian stan, shirtless, william inge

We caught Mark St. Germain's play Freud's Last Session on Friday night in Santa Monica, and it was HEAVY - in every sense of the word.

The show is a two person play where not much happens except for lots of talking, which means that the actors really carry the burden on their shoulders. They either make it or break it!

Unfortunately, while the iconic Judd Hirsch was stellar as the titular character, Ed alum Tom Cavanaugh weighed the show down. His British accent was as lazy as his performance.

Thankfully, though, the show is just 87 minutes without intermission and we got to experience The Broad Stage for the first time. SUCH a beautiful theater! We need to go back!

Tags: freud039s last session, judd hirsch, perez reviews, play, tom cavanaugh

While A Christmas Story is a beloved holiday film from the '80s, it is not an obvious choice to be made into musical. However, the musicalized version of the film, now playing on Broadway, has been adapted faithfully, adoringly and smashingly!

Consider this to be the quirkier and more adult holiday show, the boozy cousin to Elf.

The musical features a beautiful score by new Broadway wunderkids Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Their songs are timeless and memorable - and several could exist beautifully outside the world of this show. It is everything that Bring It On is not!

The stage adaptation may have been a touch TOO faithful to the movie, as Act 1 felt a bit heavy on the dialogue. But that's a minor note.

John Rando staged a beautiful show, with some truly fabulous production number and a great cast of adults and super talented kids.

You can rarely go wrong with a bunch of kids singing and dancing REALLY WELL! It just wins audiences over!

If you loved A Christmas Story growing up, then you will not be disappointed with the new Broadway musical. Run and see it now before it closes at the end of December!

Tags: a christmas story, broadway, musical, perez hilton, perez reviews

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!

Tags: dusty springfield, forever dusty, perez hilton, perez reviews

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!

Tags: brian darcy james, broadway, giant, kate baldwin, michael john lachiusa, music, musical, off broadway, perez hilton, perez reviews, public theater

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.

Tags: alicia silverstone, broadway, cheyenne jackson, henry winkler, perez hilton, perez reviews, the performers