I had to chuckle a bit while reading The Public Theater's Artistic Director Oskar Eustis' program notes for Adrienne Kennedy's Mom, How Did You Meet The Beatles?, which described the play as "the most accessible" she's ever written. I say almost-one-person because the only actor the audience sees is Brenda Pressley, who plays the maternal Kennedy telling the story to her adult son, an off-stage voice supplied by William Demeritt. The son's participation is minimal, chiming in with only occasional questions during the 65-minute piece, but it helps establish a relationship that propels the telling beyond the usual actor and audience communication of most one-person plays. Cleverly preceded by that familiar opening chord of "Hard Day's Night," Kennedy's tale is that of a divorced, Obie-winning recipient of two major grants (with a third on the way) who has an idea to turn John Lennon's nonsense stories (She doesn't mention them by name but I assume she's referring to his collections In His Own Write and A Spaniard In The Works.) into a theatre piece. Well, it just so happens that the artistic director of the New York theatre company that wants to commission her to write it knows Lennon's publisher in London and though no promises are made the playwright is invited to stop by his office if she's ever in town. Naturally, Kennedy grabs her young son and grant money and flies out to obtain the theatre rights and perhaps meet a Beatle or two. Though the Brits of the 60's seemed unaccustomed to being visited by black Americans ("People were very aware that you were not white.") a series of coincidences depicting an insular world of the arts where everyone seems to know someone you need to know not only puts the star struck Kennedy in touch with luminaries such as Sir Lawrence Olivier, Kenneth Tynan, James Earl Jones, Alex Haley and, yes, John Lennon, but puts her on the path to having her John Lennon play premiere at The Old Vic. But when theatre politics from the London big boys starts pulling the project away from the Bard of Greenwich Village, the playwright finds herself in a battle for her artistic rights. Kennedy's writing is indeed accessible. It's also lively, energetic story telling. Brenda Pressley, even though she reads the play from behind a podium, is completely engaging and so natural in the role you'd think she was Adrienne Kennedy. Peter Dubois directs the bare bones production. Mom, How Did You Meet The Beatles? is the initial presentation of the Public Lab, a 7-play collaboration between the Public Theater and the LAByrinth Theater Company running through June (this piece concludes February 23rd). All tickets for the new works presented in the series are only $10. In this case, it's absolutely the best theatre bargain in town. Photo of Brenda Pressley by Joan Marcus ********************************************* The thought of a celebrated actress such as Lynn Redgrave opening a play by wearing a contraption called a "God Helmet" may bring to mind those classical thespians who have at one time or another lent their extraordinary talents to schlocky sci-fi b-flicks, but Grace, Mick Gordon and A.C. Grayling's elegantly told domestic drama of ideals and ideas is anything but. Their ninety minute piece, in a smooth and detailed production directed by Joseph Hardy, not only provides Redgrave with the means for two moments of positively brilliant stage work – the kind of stuff so intimately real as to make you simultaneously overwhelmed and uncomfortable – but intrigues with the notion of a flexible church of no absolutes, where faith is open to interpretation, doubt and questioning. Though her genial, secularly Jewish husband, Tony (Philip Goodwin is a pleasure), is a humorously calming influence ("Who's going to take a priest named Friedman seriously?"), Grace is livid that her son could choose to be part of a culture where, "An actor who reads the Bible would win the (presidential) election over a rocket scientist who does not." "To believe something in the face of evidence and against reason – to believe something by faith – is ignoble, ignorant and irresponsible. And merits the opposite of respect," declares Grace in Redgrave's most thrillingly passionate and commanding moment. K.K. Moggie is also exceptional as Tom's lawyer girlfriend, a woman layered with anger and the fear that her possible future fiancé would choose God over her. In one of the play's many humorous moments, she indirectly lashes out at Grace through the poetry of Philip Larkin. (If you know Larkin, you know which one I mean and you're laughing already.) Photo of Lynn Redgrave by Joan Marcus
Posted on: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 @ 09:08 AM Posted by: Michael Dale
We all know that famous names sell tickets on Broadway. Any one of these ladies would most likely be (or have already proven to be) box office gold, but which of them would you most like to see?
Posted on: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 @ 03:13 PM Posted by: Michael Dale | Leave Feedback
"I've never been a millionaire but I just know I'd be darling at it." -- Dorothy Parker The grosses are out for the week ending 2/10/2008 and we've got them all right here in BroadwayWorld.com's grosses section. Up for the week was: SPAMALOT (17.9%), HAIRSPRAY (17.9%), GREASE (16.4%), MARY POPPINS (14.1%), A CHORUS LINE (12.7%), SPRING AWAKENING (12.6%), MAMMA MIA! (12.2%), CURTAINS (11.7%), CHICAGO (11.7%), XANADU (11.2%), AVENUE Q (11.0%), THE LION KING (9.9%), THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (9.4%), RENT (5.8%), A BRONX TALE (4.7%), THE COLOR PURPLE (3.3%), IS HE DEAD? (3.2%), THE LITTLE MERMAID (2.8%), LEGALLY BLONDE (2.3%), THE HOMECOMING (2.2%), SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (1.9%), THE SEAFARER (0.6%), JERSEY BOYS (0.3%),
Down for the week was: NOVEMBER (-4.6%), AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (-3.8%), WICKED (-0.9%), THE 39 STEPS (-0.8%), COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA (-0.5%), THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION (-0.4%), ROCK 'N' ROLL (-0.2%),
Posted on: Monday, February 11, 2008 @ 04:58 PM Posted by: Michael Dale | Leave Feedback
You would think that Edith Wharton's fizzy little comic novel, The Glimpses Of The Moon, might have been a perfect property for Rodgers & Hart or Kern, Wodehouse & Bolton to musicalize when it was fresh off the presses in 1922. But no, it took until 2008 for New Yorkers to get a glimpse, not to mention a pleasant earful, of a brand new frothy little musical charmer based on her book, courtesy of a couple of moderns, Tajlei Levis (book and lyrics) and John Mercurio (music). Patti Murin and Stephen Plunkett are perfectly delightful as the socially popular, but cash-poor Susy Branch and Nick Lansing. Being charming, young and able to hide their distaste for those who are better off ("I detest people with a balance, though I do like their houses."), Susy and Nick are welcome guests for dinners, weekends and the most fabulous social gatherings of the jazz age. But being charming is a full time job and Nick wants to write a book while Susy wants to nab a rich hubby. So they hatch up a plot to marry each other and live for a year off of pawned wedding gifts and offers of extended honeymoons at holiday cottages. They agree that if one of them does find an actual perfect match, they will gracefully arrange for a mutual divorce. You know where this is going, don't you? Well, during the prerequisite time when Susy and Nick decide they hate each other, he finds himself paired off with Coral, a Bryn Mawr archaeologist (hilariously severe Laura Jordan) who has an unexpected wild side lurking beneath her bush jacket, while she hooks up with witty playboy Streffy (a nicely glib Glenn Peters), their equally penniless friend who has suddenly become titled and wealthy after a freak yachting accident wipes out the family line of succession above him. Meanwhile, wealthy acquaintance Ellie (a bubbly Beth Glover) is handling her own affairs behind the back of hubby Nelson (dashing Daren Kelly). With a second act scene actually taking place in The Oak Room, each performance features a special guest cabaret singer. We were treated to Jana Robbins when I attended and future stars include Jane Summerhays, Susan Lucci, Joyce DeWitt and Alison Fraser. The lively score has several numbers evocative of The Jazz Age, though much of it leans toward traditional showtune. The title song is a lovely ballad that could find itself being sung at the Oak Room outside of the show. There's some of the typical second act trouble where interest in the plot fizzles a bit and the book can use a little trimming (the idea of a guest star is fun but the scene grinds the action to a halt) but by the time the inevitable happy ending is settled and the tuneful ballad is reprised, Glimpses Of The Moon has already bested most of the current crop of musicals for civilized entertainment. Photo of Patti Murin and Stephen Plunkett by Katie Rosen ********************************** There's an old saying in theatre, or if there isn't at least there should be, that if grandpa has two emphysema attacks in a play, then he's better die the third time it happens. But that turns out to be only a minor irritation in Mike Leigh's Two Thousand Years, a domestic drama that reduces issues of secular Judaism, Zionism and religious politics into a long and tedious shouting a match, making poor use of the efforts of a fine company of actors. Add a cantankerous grandfather (Merwin Goldsmith), an estranged sister (Natasha Lyonne) and Michelle's new boyfriend (Yuval Boim), who drives tanks for the Israeli army, into the mix and tempers quickly explode into highly contrived wars of words. By the second act the amount of shouting the actors are required to do, either by the playwright's instructions or Scott Elliott's direction, turns the evening ridiculously comic. Gelber, in particular, is made to play little more than a walking fit of rage. Even when in gentler tones the characters tend to speak in op-ed pieces instead of realistic dialogue. (David Cale rounds out the cast in a throwaway role as a genial neighbor having trouble conceiving with his wife.) Before the play and between scenes we hear a goofy piece of music by The Klezmatics, a sort of sitcom theme. Heard a couple of times, it's cute. By the end of the ten-scene play I developed a violet distaste for klezmer. Photo of Jordan Gelber and Laura Esterman by Carol Rosegg
Posted on: Monday, February 11, 2008 @ 09:23 AM Posted by: Michael Dale | Leave Feedback
In the 1979 revival of Oklahoma!, Christine Ebersole insisted that when it comes to men she "cain't say no," and this weekend she's showing City Center audiences that when it comes to performing, the same words apply. Despite suffering musical theatre's most talked-about flu since Faith Prince played Miss Adelaide in the last revival of Guys and Dolls (Okay, so Miss Adelaide only has a cold, but you get my point.) Ms. Ebersole is nevertheless positively luminous as Margo Channing in the Encores! staged reading of Applause. The musical version of All About Eve isn't a bad show. It's just not an especially good one. But it had the luck to open in a rather unimpressive season for Broadway musicals, winning the Tony over Coco and Purlie. The book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and score by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams has enough high moments that, with a great star turn, good supporting players and a stylish production, it can give you a fun night out. Even while ailing, Christine Ebersole provides the great turn but much of the rest of director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall's production isn't quite as healthy. The tricky thing about star vehicles is that you need other actors around who can stand up to the lead's glitter and make an impression. Michael Park lacks the strength in both vocals and presence that would make him believable as the steadying force in Margo's life as both her director and lover. Erin Davie's Eve Harrington is never convincingly sincere in her act as an innocent girl who just wants to be helpful to Margo, nor a realistic threat as the calculating opportunist who beds her way to stardom. Her climatic number, "One Hallowe'en" is wildly overacted and under-sung. But there's fine work to be enjoyed in the smaller roles. Mario Cantone is smack on the mark as the droll hairdresser Duane and makes a strong impression in his limited singing and dancing moments. Megan Sikora is a pistol of song and dance spunkiness, leading a knockout dancing ensemble in the title song. (This production eschews the tradition of naming the character after the actress playing it so she goes by the name of Bonnie, after the role's originator, Bonnie Franklin.) Chip Zien plays the loveable mensch of a playwright with his usual good humor and Kate Burton is smart and elegant as the wife who supported him through the lean years. If the staging and choreography settled on the perfunctory, Rob Berman's 31-piece orchestra sounded just terrific, especially when Philip J. Lang's orchestrations went gloriously mod. Oh, and by the way, regarding my Tuesday entry, there was no response at all. Photo by Joan Marcus: Mario Cantone, Christine Ebersole, Erin Davie and Company
Posted on: Saturday, February 09, 2008 @ 05:10 PM Posted by: Michael Dale | Leave Feedback
The primaries are really heating up but here at BroadwayWorld.com we know the deciding factor for choosing a candidate is which one's life story would make the best musical. So exercise your right as a musical theatre fan and vote!
Posted on: Thursday, February 07, 2008 @ 02:15 PM Posted by: Michael Dale | Leave Feedback
There are several reasons I'm looking forward to this week's Encores! concert performance of Charles Strouse (music), Lee Adams (lyrics) and Betty Comden and Adolph Green's (book) 1970 musical version of All About Eve, retiled Applause, this weekend. Like hearing those mod Broadway rock orchestrations by the great Philip J. Lang played by a full assemblage of musicians. And seeing that crazy segment of the title tune when the cast does a series of parodies of Fiddler On The Roof, Funny Girl, Hello, Dolly! and other classic musicals, including a challenge dance between Oklahoma! and Oh! Calcutta! And, of course, to see the wonderful Christine Ebersole in her first major role since nabbing the Tony for Grey Gardens. But I'm especially interested in hearing the audience's reaction to a quick exchange that takes place in the first act when Broadway star Margo Channing invites her hairdresser, Duane, to join her opening night celebration. He declines, saying he has a date, and she replies, "Bring him along." I'm sure that little exchange would sound completely innocuous to a New York audience in 2008, but when Lauren Bacall said those three little words to Lee Roy Reams in 1970, "Bring him along" was a landmark utterance. It was the very first time in the history of Broadway musicals that a character was clearly and undeniably acknowledged as being homosexual. Of course, there had been characters before whose stereotypical behavior and winking remarks were meant to define them as gay to a knowing audience. Danny Kaye as the photographer in Lady In The Dark and René Auberjonois' fashion designer in Coco immediately come to mind, as does Steve Curry as the Mick Jagger-obsessed hippie in Hair who denies being homosexual despite his claim that he wouldn't toss the Rolling Stone out of bed. But this was the first time a Broadway musical was up front about our being in the presence of a character that would go out on a date with someone of the same sex. (And no, Henry Higgins asking Pickering, "Would you complain if I took out another fellow?" is not the same thing.) My theatre-going days were still ahead of me when Applause played The Palace, but my informal survey of friends and colleagues who did see it reveals that some audience members laughed, others were shocked and, quite appropriately given the title of the show, many applauded. But that was 38 years ago. Unless they are aware of the significance of the line, would audience members even notice it today? Will we even hear the line at City Center this week? Encores! generally trims the books for their concert presentations and without any reaction the exchange seems like surplus material. I'll find out on Friday, but if you plan on making Applause a part of your theatre-going this week, why not give a big cheer if Christine Ebersole's Margo does in fact invite Mario Cantone's Duane to bring his male date along. It's the Broadway musical's answer to, "I have a dream." Now… which was the first unmistakably open lesbian character to appear in a Broadway musical? Did anyone even notice when it happened?
Posted on: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 @ 08:29 AM Posted by: Michael Dale | Leave Feedback
Up for the week was: COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA (16.6%), LEGALLY BLONDE (2.8%),
Down for the week was: THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION (-17.7%), THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (-14.7%), IS HE DEAD? (-12.0%), AVENUE Q (-11.4%), CHICAGO (-11.0%), MARY POPPINS (-10.2%), CURTAINS (-9.6%), NOVEMBER (-9.4%), THE LITTLE MERMAID (-8.4%), A CHORUS LINE (-8.4%), SPAMALOT (-8.1%), HAIRSPRAY (-6.7%), GREASE (-6.6%), A BRONX TALE (-6.4%), SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (-6.3%), THE COLOR PURPLE (-5.7%), MAMMA MIA! (-5.1%), THE SEAFARER (-4.5%), SPRING AWAKENING (-4.4%), THE LION KING (-4.4%), RENT (-4.3%), ROCK 'N' ROLL (-4.0%), AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (-2.3%), THE HOMECOMING (-2.2%), THE 39 STEPS (-2.2%), JERSEY BOYS (-2.0%), WICKED (-0.5%), XANADU (-0.4%),
Posted on: Monday, February 04, 2008 @ 11:47 PM Posted by: Michael Dale | Leave Feedback
When Tama Janowitz coined the phrase "Slaves of New York" with the title of her 1986 collection of short stories, she was referring to how the lack of affordable apartments in the city flings people into quick romantic commitments or has them cling onto unhealthy ones for the sake of having a place to stay. In Brooke Berman's cleverly titled Hunters and Gatherers, a reference to societies that seek out food rather than farming, the real estate market hasn't grown less competitive but the computer age (especially Craig's List) has made it easier for people to hop around various short-term situations when the opportunities to plant roots are bleak and to escape the bad ones with a few mouse clicks and a successful interview. "This is a list of all the apartments in which I have lived in the past fifteen years that I have been alone, I mean, an adult," says Ruth (Keira Naughton) before presenting us with a slide show of over 20 New York apartments. (Not to mention several on the west coast and a vacation cottage in Vermont.) Her latest abode is in Queens, where she's house-sitting for a Canadian actor she just met at the public library who she's kissed, but isn't certain if that happened before or after he offered her the roof. Ruth is trying to get over her breakup with Columbia professor Jesse (Jeremy Shamos), who she didn't know was married while they were dating. Her best friend, Astor (Michael Chernus), whose living situation generally consists of sleeping on friends' couches, happens to be Jessie's half-brother. Meanwhile, the newly divorced Jesse has moved into a new place and is soon approached for a date by the pretty, not-yet-of-legal-drinking-age student, Bess (Mamie Gummer), who is unhappily sharing a Brooklyn apartment with six roommates. Naturally, Bess and Ruth eventually become friends, although neither knows of the other's relationship with Jesse, meeting in a bar and bonding over a video game that allows you to shoot at virtual animals. We've seen these types many times before, but the ensemble plays the comedy well and keeps the evening entertaining. Naughton is very funny and endearing as the smart, neurotic, hopeful romantic who keeps getting stepped on by unworthy men. Chernus' philosophical charm makes Astor too likeable to even consider calling him a slacker. Shamos, an actor who can shine with wide-eyed optimism that hides unexpressed emotions, can almost make you forgive his character's infidelity and Gummer gives the right amount of innocence to her role as the young woman developing her predatory nature by using her looks to her advantage. David Korins gets some good laughs from his set, consisting of stacks of boxes, a few of them packed with surprises, forming a New York skyline. Hunting and Gathering boils down to another New York love story filled with smart and funny people, the kind of comedy this Upper West Sider will always have a soft spot for. If not completely satisfying, it's still amusing, and the image of Manhattan beneath a starry sky is the kind of finish will always send me out with a sentimental little glow. Photos by James Leynse: Top: Michael Chernus and Jeremy Shamos; Bottom: Mamie Gummer and Keira Naughton *********************** From Wardhouse Monk's Matinee Tomorrow, published in 1949: The League of New York Theaters came into being, with one of its objectives the control and the suppression of theater ticket speculation. The purpose was a noble one; racketeering in tickets has long been one of the theater's evils. But how can it ever be eliminated as long as a visitor from the midlands – a wealthy and high-pressure individual, say, from Des Moines or St. Paul or Denver – gets off a plane or train at six o'clock and wants to see the best show on Broadway at eight-thirty? Wants to see it and is willing to pay $20 per seat. Or more.
Posted on: Monday, February 04, 2008 @ 09:38 AM Posted by: Michael Dale | Leave Feedback
As much as I enjoy listening to some Kander and Ebb anytime, it's very refreshing to see a young performer do a complete show about New York without hearing that all-too-familiar vamp. Making his cabaret debut with a one-night gig at The Metropolitan Room, Ben Cherry shows himself to be an engaging performer with an attractive light baritone, but more importantly, displays a knowledge of the necessities of cabaret performance that often eludes beginners in the field. I was impressed with how he played all angles of the room and apparently put a lot of thought into personalizing each song with his patter. Partnered with the fluid interpretations of New York cabaret mainstay Sheldon Forrest at piano, there are plenty of fun moments with silly numbers like Harry Warren and Al Dubin's "She's a Latin From Manhattan" and Charles Strouse's (he wrote his own lyrics for Mayor) hilariously nasty, "You Can Be A New Yorker, Too." Jaunty numbers like Michael John LaChiusa's "See What I Wanna See" and Stephen Sondheim's "What More Do I Need?" are done with charismatic confidence and Cherry's skills as a lyric interpreter are put to fine use in ballads like Maury Yeston's "Bookseller In The Rain" and Peter Golub and Mark Campbell's "I Miss New York." But the problem with presenting a 19-song program about New York is that for nearly a century lyricists have been expressing similar sentiments about Gotham. There are only so many times you can hear songs about how the city is dirty, noisy and impersonal but full of adventure, rhythm and colorful characters without wanting a little more variety. By the time we get to songs 15 & 16, where Cherry is combining Stephen Schwartz's "West End Avenue" with Sondheim's "Another Hundred People," the evening has begun wearing thin. But if the show itself can use some structural rehashing, this cabaret debut was a good one. With the experience necessary to help his presentation seem more organic, Ben Cherry could be one to watch for.
Posted on: Saturday, February 02, 2008 @ 02:29 PM Posted by: Michael Dale | Leave Feedback
William Gibson's The Miracle Worker is one of those rare serious American dramas you can call a real crowd-pleaser, as much as Oklahoma!, Hello, Dolly! or any other musical with an exclamation point at the end of its title. Death of A Salesman? Long Day's Journey Into Night? Great dramas for sure, but not exactly crowd-pleasers. Heck, we already know there's a happy ending. It's called The Miracle Worker, for goodness sake. You know the story, right? The Kellers of 1880's Alabama have a young daughter, Helen, who became deaf and blind as a baby. They write for assistance to a Boston institute that has been doing good work with blind children and are sent the headstrong and inexperienced Annie Sullivan, a visually impaired woman who is out to make a go at earning her own living for the first time. Sullivan has two major obstacles to overcome in her attempt to teach Helen how to make intellectual connections between the words she's taught to spell with her hands and the concept that they mean something. Out of pity, the Kellers have pretty much spoiled the child and let her have run of the house, giving her sweets to calm her tantrums and allowing her to eat with her hands by picking off of everyone else's plate. Though the teacher recognizes an independent spirit in Helen that she wouldn't want to break, she also shows no tolerance for bad manners. But when she tries to correct the child's behavior, the family, especially her father, finds her practice of tough love inappropriate and potentially destructive. Annika Boras makes a brash and heroic Annie Sullivan, using an Irish brogue and a no-nonsense attitude that just barely covers her bouts with frustration and fear of failure. 11-year-old Meredith Lipson, who alternates performances with Lily Maketansky, is very believable as the deaf/blind child, showing her to be an intelligent girl with a great potential for learning. Their scenes together are loaded with fierce energy and realistic humor, especially in the famous choreographed battle in the dining room when Helen will have no part of Sullivan's attempt to teach her how to use a fork. There is good work from the supporting players, including John Hickok as Helen's father, a former Confederate Army Captain who is shocked by the unseemly attitude of this Bostonian woman, Emily Dorsch as the sensitive mother trying to understand Sullivan's methods and Will Fowler as Helen's smart-aleck half-brother. David Zinn's set, the Keller home's back exterior with smaller interiors rolling in and out, nicely hints at the family's traditional elegance while his costumes help contrast the northern teacher with the southern society that surrounds her. Parents, go ahead and take your tweens to this one. They may actually have something to say after the performance besides, "Can I have a t-shirt?" An interesting aside: I found this note printed in the acting edition of The Miracle Worker, published in 1960: Following instructions from the author, this play may be released only to amateur groups at which the audience is non-segregated. They sure had a heck of a decade ahead of 'em. Photo by Gerry Goodstein: Annika Boras and Meredith Lipson
Posted on: Friday, February 01, 2008 @ 01:54 AM Posted by: Michael Dale | Leave Feedback
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Certainly this is lighter, more direct fare than her breakthrough 1964 Obie-winning Funnyhouse Of A Negro and other works Oskar describes as, "elliptical, poetic and dense." A collaborative effort with her son Adam P. Kennedy, …Beatles? is a charming autobiographical almost-one-person play about a time in the 1960's when a hot, young playwright learned some harsh truths about the business of art.
The God Helmet is an experimental device meant to stimulate certain parts of the brain in order to artificially create the feeling one has when spiritually inspired. An instant religious experience, so to speak. Scenes with Redgrave wearing the helmet as part of a research team's experiment bookend the play. Science professor Grace Friedman calls herself a naturalist, shunning the term "atheist" as a label invented by those who aren't. Her lawyer son, Tom (nicely idealistic Oscar Isaac), has grown frustrated with his profession's goal of proof instead of truth and has decided to enter the priesthood.
I've decided that all of my Broadway grosses reports should be accompanied by an Algonquin Round Table Quote of the Week. I may change my mind about it next week but that's how she stands today.
Glimpses Of The Moon
Taking place from July of 2004 to September of the next year, married couple Danny (Richard Masur) and Rachel (Laura Esterman) are middle class North London Jews (set designer Derek McLane provides a smartly furnished and comfy home) who are passionately opinionated on matters of American involvement in the Middle East and Israeli-Palestinian relations, but never seem anxious to get involved in them. They're horrified when their 28 year old son Josh (Jordan Gelber), who hasn't held a job since graduating college, turns orthodox and has starts wearing a yarmulke. Believing as their daughter Michelle (Cindy Katz) does, that "Zionism has been hijacked by a bunch of right-wing religious nuts," they react as though it is his first step toward becoming a terrorist.
Certainly you've heard the story by now. As recapped by Encores! Artistic Director Jack Viertel before Friday evening's performance, Ebersole became horribly stricken on the 7th of the 10 rehearsal days Equity allows for these concert performances. Missing the next two, and without an understudy, she insisted on going on for Wednesday's open dress rehearsal, though the doctor ordered her not only not to kiss her leading man, but not to even touch anyone. Reports on internet chat boards described her gallant effort despite an inability to sing that night, and her improved state for Thursday night's opening. And though you could see and hear the obvious signs of the star's bad health last night – the notes that weren't held, her energy sagging at times, her voice petering out – the craft of a skilled actress and the heart of a passionate performer were out there in as full a force as Ebersole could muster. It wasn't always pretty, but I dare you not tear up with smiles watching her Margo shine with joy as she disco dances with a chorus of adoring males in a West Village gay bar. Or thrill to her quiet elegance as she turns the torchy "Hurry Back" into an art song. Or cheer with admiration as she packs whatever strength she has left into the final moments of the first act's finale, the backhanded anthem, "Welcome To The Theatre."
Primary Stages
In I Hate New York… a love story, Cherry is the picture of fresh-faced exuberance, looking like a character out of Babes In Arms with his sweater vest, white collar and big toothy grin. The look effectively brings us back to another time when he tackles the rhythmic frenzy of Irving Berlin's "Manhattan Madness" or settles in for a tender rendition of Bernstein/Comden and Green's "Lonely Town."
And though you should always be suspect of the reactions of opening night audiences, there was strong, enthused applause following nearly every scene at Sunday's performance of 
About Michael: After 20-odd years singing, dancing and acting in
dinner theatres, summer stocks and the ever-popular
audience participation murder mysteries (try
improvising with audiences after they?ve had two hours
of open bar), Michael Dale segued his theatrical
ambitions into playwriting. The buildings which once
housed the 5 Off-Off Broadway plays he penned have all
been destroyed or turned into a Starbucks, but his
name remains the answer to the trivia question, "Who
wrote the official play of Babe Ruth's 100th
Birthday?" He served as Artistic Director for The
Play's The Thing Theatre Company, helping to bring
free live theatre to underserved communities, and
dabbled a bit in stage managing and in directing
cabaret shows before answering the call (it was an
email, actually) to become BroadwayWorld.com's first
Chief Theatre Critic. While not attending shows
Michael can be seen at Shea Stadium pleading for the
Mets to stop imploding. Likes: Strong book musicals
and ambitious new works. Dislikes: Unprepared
celebrities making their stage acting debuts by
starring on Broadway and weak bullpens.
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