Theater Digest - February 23, 2023
New thoughts on Much Ado About Nothing at A Noise Within in Pasadena, Calvin Berger at the Colony in Burbank, and Sunday in the Park with George at the Pasadena Playhouse.
Hello theater lovers! I’m Katie, and I see a lot of theater! Currently, I’m seeing 0-2 shows a week, depending on my schedule. I do my best to include the Covid protocol for in-person shows, but things change rapidly, so if you decide to see something, please double check what the protocol are before you arrive at the theater!
As a rule, I won't be talking about any Disney/Fox/Hulu shows. Since this newsletter is geared towards people in the entertainment industry, there's a good chance I won't like a show that you or someone you know was involved in. I'm sure that you/your friend put a lot of effort into your/their work! I've been in a few shows, I know how much work goes into putting on a show. But just as you're entitled to dislike TV shows your friends worked on, I'm allowed to dislike theater you/your friends may have worked on. I try not to be vindictive, but I also do make it clear when I don't think a show is worth the price of a ticket or the time spent watching it.
I won't be writing much/any synopsis in these blurbs, but feel free to check out other reviews for synopses! Or just check out other reviews in general! Keep theater journalism alive & well!
Each week, I'll remove everything that’s closed, and put ** next to anything that’s new!
Worth Seeing:
**Sunday in the Park with George at the Pasadena Playhouse [LA]. I had never seen this Sondheim classic before, but I’m glad I got to see it now. Some Sondheim shows are, I think, like Brussels sprouts; you might not like or appreciate them when you’re younger, and they have to be impeccably prepared to be palatable when you’re older. I don’t know that I’ll ever love this show, but I think this production, which I liked plenty, is as close as I’ll get (I’m more of a Company and Merrily We Roll Along gal). I thought Krystina Alabado absolutely stole the show as Dot/Marie when I saw it on opening night, but a friend mentioned she gave a weaker performance at an earlier preview. Sarna Lapine (niece of the show’s book writer, and original director, James Lapine) directs. She also directed the NY revival with Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford, which I didn’t see, but I did notice one uncanny similarity—both Gyllenhaal there and Graham Phillips here sing an awful lot like Mandy Patinkin, who originated the role of George. I’d be curious to know if that’s a coincidence, or something Lapine encourages in the performers she casts as George. From looking at the stills of that production, this does seem to be a near-identical staging, just with a different cast. Even when I don’t love a Sondheim show, it’s always a relief to be wrapped in the cozy embrace of his genius lyrics, which are all the more poignant since his death. In the second act, Marie attributes this quote to her mother: “There are only two worthwhile things to leave behind when you depart this world of ours: children and art.” Stephen Sondheim may not have left this world any biological children, but boy, did he give us a trove of incredible art.
Closes Mar 19 in Pasadena.
Covid protocol: Indoor venue. Masks recommended.
Six on tour, on Broadway [NY], and on the West End [London]. I’ve been wanting to see Six for a few years now, and contented myself with listening to the West End cast recording many, many times (the show recently won Best Score at the 2022 Tony Awards). The show is an 80 minute pop concert by King Henry VIII’s wives, singing for your empathy. Each woman has a different perspective on her marriage and why it ended (only half of them survived their marriages). The songs are so catchy and fun and clever, and you can tell the cast are having a blast singing them. For most of the show, I had the widest grin on my face—it’s a joy to watch something fun, performed at a really high level. The show also packs an emotional punch in the back half, which lands. I brought my history nerd dad with me to the show, and he liked it a lot too; it’s the rare pop musical that works just as well for a Beyonce or Ariana Grande fan as it does for the types of people who sought out and enjoyed The Lehman Trilogy. Which isn’t to say that that’s a Venn diagram of two distinct circles—people contain multitudes! But you know what I’m saying. To stereotype, it’s a show both teen girls and their erudite fathers will enjoy. Six is a delight of a show, the perfect pick for when you want a fun night out at the theater.
Open-ended runs on Broadway and the West End. Coming to the Pantages in April.
NY & London Covid protocol: Indoor venue. Masks encouraged.
Magic Mike Live in Las Vegas and London [Vegas/London]. Both of these shows are quite fun, and the show’s writers (none officially credited, but they seem to be Channing Tatum & Lyndsay Hailey) have done a great job of creating a non-sleazy environment and a relatable guide in the emcee. The choreography (by Alison Faulk, Teresa Espinosa, and Luke Broadlick) is also astounding. There are some differences between the Vegas and London stagings, with each being tailored to both the different performance spaces and the casts, and I have to admit, I didn’t love the emcee I saw in London (and the British audience was also pretty rude, talking throughout the show), but all in all, it’s an entertaining and empowering night.
Open-ended run in Vegas and London.
Vegas Covid protocol: Indoor venue with close proximity to (unmasked, vaccinated) performers. Proof of vaccination or recent (within 72 hours) negative test required. Masks required at all times.
London Covid protocol: Indoor venue with close proximity to (unmasked) performers. Unclear if proof of vaccination or negative test is required. Unclear if masks are required.
The Lehman Trilogy on the West End (reviewed at the Ahmanson in 2022, with a different cast). I’ll admit, the premise of this show does not sound enticing: a three hour and 20 minute biographical exploration of the original Lehman brothers, who founded the eponymous firm, and their descendants, from the 1840s through the 2008 financial crisis. It sounds like a show that’s perfect for the types of people (men?) who like to read historical biographies for fun, and while it is that, it is also engaging for people who just love a well-told story. And this story certainly is well told! Based on a (five hour) Italian play by Stefano Massini and adapted into English and condensed by Ben Power, The Lehman Trilogy is engaging. The production is directed by Sam Mendes, who directed the initial three productions in London, as well as the Broadway version, which closed in January before coming here. Adam Godley and Simon Russell Beale, who play the youngest and eldest brothers, respectively, have been with the show since the first London production in 2018, and their comfort with the text shows. Howard W. Overshown is new to the cast in Los Angeles, and fits in quite nicely. It’s an interesting choice to have those three actors play all the roles, including the brothers’ wives and children, but it’s easy to follow which character an actor is at a given time as all three voice both their own dialogue and the omniscient third person narration (it sounds odd as a concept, but works well). The first two acts, which, combined, span around 80 years, are quite strong, but the third act, which takes the narrative from the Great Depression to 2008, feels rushed, and introduces some strange dramatic devices that I didn’t think quite worked. The text also seems to go out of its way to say that the company’s downfall had nothing to do with any of the Lehmans, who were greedy, but not too greedy, according to the authorial voice. Still, the show is a treat to watch, since everyone involved is at the top of their game.
Closes May 20 in London.
Covid protocol: Indoor venue. Masks encouraged.
A Mixed Bag:
**Much Ado About Nothing at A Noise Within in Pasadena [LA]. This production has been much better received by other L.A. critics (e.g. the LA Times and BroadwayWorld), but it did not succeed as well for me. I found that Joshua Bitton’s Benedick and Erika Soto’s Beatrice lacked chemistry, which is crucial to this text, and they and director Guillermo Cienfuegos made some fundamental choices about the characters with which I fundamentally disagreed. Still, it’s a strong text which the cast performs fairly capably, and Wesley Mann might be the funniest Dogberry I’ve seen.
My review for Stage Raw here.
Closes Mar 12 in Pasadena.
Covid protocol: Indoor venue. Masks recommended.
Ride the Cyclone at the Chance Theater in Anaheim [SoCal]. I hadn’t heard of this show before, but I’m on the press lists for both the Chance and DC’s Arena Stage, and I noticed that they’re both staging it at the same time, so I was curious. It’s a musical that’s been around for a little while (it played off-Broadway in 2016), but seems to have gone viral online in the past couple years. Chance’s production is pretty solid, and Em Flosi and Rose Pell are standouts in the cast, but this cyclone didn’t blow me away.
My review for Stage Raw here.
Closes Feb 26 in Anaheim.
Covid protocol: Indoor venue. Masks recommended.
Hadestown on tour and on Broadway [NY]. Keen readers and/or longtime subscribers might notice I’ve moved this up from “Not Worth It” to “A Mixed Bag.” As much as it is possible for one to be objectively right or wrong about art, I am likely objectively wrong about Hadestown. Subjectively, though, I don’t love it as much as everyone else I know does. I stand by what I previously wrote about the show, but after a second viewing with a different cast, I’ll admit that when the songs are good, they soar. The touring ensemble is outstanding, and Nathan Koci’s music direction makes the good songs simultaneously lush and crisp. But I’m still troubled by the songs that are too high or too low for male voices, particularly Orpheus’ “Epic” and its reprises, and Hades’ “Hey, Little Songbird,” respectively. Acting moments that I chalked up to quirks of Reeve Carney’s performance I now realize are blocking choices, presumably from director Rachel Chavkin, that come across as affected, even on Nicholas Barasch, playing the same role. I’m also troubled in a way I’m not quite capable of articulating to see Levi Kreis play Hermes, a role that seemed expressly written for André De Shields. That’s not to say that no one else can play the role, and Kreis is a phenomenal performer, but dialogue and mannerisms in De Shields’s performance make me feel uneasy in Kreis’. Even on a second viewing, despite familiarity with the myths of Orpheus & Eurydice and Hades & Persephone, I still struggle to follow the plot, which feels piecemeal to me. But perhaps my mind is preternaturally disposed to wander during this show. Most of these quibbles are to say, feel free to disregard me, since many many people love this show and I am a lone voice of dissent! (But if you also didn’t love the show, know you’re not alone!)
Open-ended run in NY.
NY Covid protocol: Indoor venue. Masks encouraged.
& Juliet on Broadway [NY] and the West End [London]. This is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet from Juliet’s perspective, set to a catalogue of songs written by Swedish pop maestro Max Martin, including “Teenage Dream,” “I Want It That Way,” and “Since U Been Gone.” If you’re the kind of person who looks at the track listing and has sung at least 75% of the songs in the show at karaoke, you’ll probably love & Juliet. It’s very fun, but, much like a Max Martin song, it falls apart the more you try and think about it (indeed, it’s cringeworthy to hear a professional actress sing, with perfect diction, “Now that I’ve become who I really are”). The cast’s accents are an incomprehensible melange, and I’m personally not a fan of the Tumblr-meets-Ed Hardy aesthetic the show has going on (it’s certainly… a choice), but it’s the kind of show that makes it easy to forget your troubles. I did feel that the way it addressed the non-binary character in the script was pretty clueless (i.e. continually using lyrics with female pronouns to describe a character who is trying to make clear that they’re neither male nor female), and overall, the creative team is regrettably not representative of the characters they’re showcasing on stage.
Open-ended run on Broadway. Closes March 25 in London.
Covid protocol: Indoor venue. Masks encouraged.
The Play That Goes Wrong off-Broadway and on the West End [NY/London]. There are some really funny moments in this show, but it's too long, even at two hours, including intermission. I wish it had been 80 minutes, sans intermission.
Open-ended runs in New York and London.
My review for Stage Raw here.
London Covid protocol: Indoor venue. Unclear if proof of vaccination or negative test is required. Masks not required.
NY Covid protocol: Indoor venue. Proof of full vaccination (but not booster) required for patrons 12 and up. Masks required at all times.
Not worth it:
**Calvin Berger at the Colony Theatre in Burbank [LA]. Nothing about this show was specifically bad, but I was underwhelmed. With book, music, and lyrics by Richard Wyner, it’s a musical adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac, set in high school, and it manages to make me not hate the Cyrano character (Calvin here, played by Frankie A. Rodriguez), which is a rare feat. But the songs feel so self-contained, explaining their own context within the lyrics but lacking subtext, that they felt more designed for performance in a cabaret than part of an entire musical. Rodriguez, who is a great singer and possibly the strongest comedic talent of his generation (he’s a delight on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series), is not enough to recommend the show. His three castmates are capable young performers, but I got an uncanny sense of too-polished perfection from them, like I was watching a BFA showcase.
Closes Mar. 26 in Burbank.
Covid protocol: Indoor venue. Masks encouraged.
Do You Feel Anger? at Circle X Theatre Co. in Atwater Village [LA]. This is a fairly new play by Mara Nelson-Greenberg that is, ostensibly, about a woman (Paula Rebelo) who comes in and teaches a collections office how to manage their emotions. But it’s really about how people navigate around male emotions, which often come out as anger. The text is too stylized for my taste, and I wondered who was supposed to be the intended audience of the play. For centuries, people have witnessed men rage, and have had to adjust their own behaviors to accommodate that, so showing that this is a thing that people do doesn’t feel revelatory. Perhaps the text wishes to be a cautionary tale about capitulating to emotional terrorists, but that seems like a rather cynical view. Rose Portillo is quite good in interstitial moments as the protagonist’s mother, but unfortunately, I don’t think she is reason enough to see the show.
Closes Feb. 25 in Atwater Village.
Covid protocol: Indoor venue. Masks required.
Oklahoma! on the West End (reviewed at the Ahmanson in 2022). I had previously had this production as “a mixed bag” when I saw it in New York in 2019, but I cared for it less at the Ahmanson. Director Daniel Fish’s staging came across this time, to me, as pseudo-intellectual and facile, landing on surface-level interpretations of subtext that were often at odds with the text itself. I genuinely wondered if Fish even likes Oklahoma!, because this staging seems ripe with disdain for the show. If he doesn’t like it, then why has he gone to such trouble to stage it multiple times over the course of many years? I appreciate that Fish is interrogating one of Broadway’s Golden Age musicals, and I wish more directors would do so, but this interpretation is confounding and unpleasant, and I can’t recommend it.
Open-ended run in London.
Covid protocol: Indoor venue. Masks encouraged.
On my radar:
Love and Information at Antaeus
Come Get Maggie at Rogue Machine
King Lear at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in DC
Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway
Funny Girl on Broadway
Back to the Future on the West End
ABBA Voyage in London
Cabaret on the West End
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