Our first review for the 2013-2014 season is for the musical Soul Doctor! Soul Doctor tells the story of the real Jewish folk music figure Shlomo Carlebach. It stars Eric Anderson as Carlebach and Amber Iman as Nina Simone.
The night didn’t start out great when Patty forgot and uttered the name of the play we were about to see within the walls of the Barrymore Theatre, though it was clearly posted not to. Thankfully, no horrors befell us or this production of Macbeth.
Being Shakespeare, it’s always good to have an understanding of the show before you see it. Emily was familiar with it, as she played Hecate in 6th Grade(!) AND a witch in high school. Patty didn’t really know the play, except for the vague references you need to get by in conversation. Luckily, the Playbill came with a handy synopsis!
Alan Cumming’s performance was absolutely fantastic. His transitions from character to character were not only clear, but completely transformative. Not technically a one man show, Alan Cumming plays a patient in an insane asylum watched over by two caregivers. No clear motivation is given for why this man is stuck in his own production of Macbeth, though his past is hinted at in props and staging. This concept is actually so intriguing to us, we were a little more interested in learning his story and would love to see that play.
Overall, however, this production is intriguing, powerful, and worth the trip to the Barrymore. And Emily has an idea for what they can do with the set once the show is over: her dream production of Cats set in an insane asylum.
Macbeth plays at the Barrymore Theatre through July 14th. Tickets: www.macbethonbroadway.com
We were finally able to see Motown, just in time for the Tony Awards. We had some thoughts…
We saw Murder Ballad, a new rock musical starring John Ellison Conlee, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Caissie Levy, and Will Swenson. Here are our thoughts!
We finally were able to see the popular revival of Pippin. The magic! The stunts! The Andrea Martin!
We saw the Broadway production of Matilda, which was the talk of London last year. Check out our review!
Here are our thoughts on the new musical Kinky Boots, with a book by Harvey Fierstein and music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper!
We review the new off-Broadway production at Second Stage, directed by Jason Robert Brown and starring Betsey Wolfe and Adam Kantor.
We review the all-new, all-American musical Hands on a Hardbody!
Not only do we like seeing Broadway shows, we also like reading books about Broadway! And we just finished reading Staged, the second book in Ruby Preston’s Broadway Trilogy. First of all, we have not read the first book, Showbiz. And while Staged works as a stand-alone book, it actually made us want to go back and read Showbiz. Plus, we’re now looking forward to the third book in the series!
Staged is a fun, quick read with the full-on soapy story Smash can’t decide if it wants to have. It’s full of references that theatre fans will feel smart knowing, plus a fun game of figuring out what the real life parallels are for some of the fictional elements Ruby has created — who could The Stewarts and The Rothsteins, two theatre-owning dynasties, actually be?! Not to mention a best friend character who is basically Roxie Red Tights.
So, if you want to read about the crazy, sexy life of a hot, young Broadway producer (and what we assume is Jennifer Ashley Tepper’s life), then pick up Staged. And while you’re at it, get Showbiz. We plan on reading it, and can’t wait for the final installment!
For more information on where to buy Ruby’s books, head to her website: www.rubypreston.com