Broadway Reviews

Hamilton

I saw Hamilton Wednesday last at the Richard Rogers Theatre. Last night I went to bed with Hamilton. I had Lin-Manuel Miranda's script all to myself and devoured it. There is so much information, not to mention plain old smarts, that is packed into this show that reading the text is an exercise in pure pleasure. And once again I came away with the same conclusion. This is a story ABOUT Alexander Hamilton while at the same time it is the story OF Aaron Burr.Burr (Leslie Odom, Jr.) welcomes us to...

White Christmas

A Review by Barbara Mehlman and Geri Manus.In 1942, Irving Berlin signed a contract with Paramount to write songs for a film with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire called "Holiday Inn." It was expected that the big single to come out of that movie would be "Be Careful, It's My Heart," but things didn't turn out that way. The blockbuster hit from the movie was "White Christmas."Some 12 years later, Bing was back, teamed up with Danny Kaye, Rosie Clooney and Vera-Ellen to make "White Christmas," a...

42nd Street

Songs by Al Dubin & Harry Warren, Book by Michael Stewart & Mark Bramble Choreography by Randy Skinner (recreating original choreography by Skinner and Gower Champion) Directed by Mark BrambleReview by Alan Bird March 200242nd Street is the all time classic Broadway musical based upon the 1933 movie musical of the same name. Set in the time of the great depression it tells the story of Peggy Sawyer a girl from Philadelphia who wants to become �a broad� on Broadway. Her moment arrives when...

Equus

A Review by Barbara Mehlman and Geri Manus.In his book, "Love's Executioner," Stanford University psychiatrist Irvin Yalom explains that "I do not like to work with patients who are in love�because love and psychotherapy are fundamentally incompatible. The good therapist fights darkness and seeks illumination, while romantic love is sustained by mystery and crumbles upon inspection. I hate to be love's executioner."Prominent psychiatrist, Dr. Martin Dysart, hates it as well when he realizes he...

The Little Mermaid

A Review by Barbara Mehlman and Geri Manus."Look! It's not a lion! It's not a beast! This time, it's a mermaid!" Gliding onto a Broadway stage with movements more suited to a Disney on Ice extravaganza, newcomer Sierra Boggess -- whose big claim to fame was her smashing performance in "Phantom -- The Las Vegas Spectacular" -- captures the hearts of little girls as the beautiful Ariel in this new glitzed-out production of "The Little Mermaid." Problem is, those are the only hearts she...

A Tale of Two Cities

A Review by Barbara Mehlman and Geri Manus.It is the not the best of shows; it is not the worst of shows.It is, rather, a "Les Mis" remake, a reunion of Mis-ites (which is not surprising given that the original ran for 6680 performances and probably employed every musical actor in New York at one time or another). It's anthem song is not "One Day More," but "Until Tomorrow." And, "At The End of the Day," as the peasants sing in "Les Mis," the French and English in the new musical "A Tale of Two...

Mary Poppins

(Please note, this is a review of the London Production of 'Mary Poppins'. This production is to be re-created on Broadway in the Spring of 2006.)Mary Poppins has finally opened at the Prince Edward Theatre and after all the pomp and excitement that has been generated around this much anticipated Disney and Cameron Macintosh stage version of Pamela Lyndon Travers inscrutable nanny, the show has generated exceptionally high expectations. Even before the curtain rises we are anticipating a...

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

What the critics had to say.....CHARLES ISHERWOOD of the NEW YORK TIMES says �The lively whole seemed to please the legions of critics in the audience who really matter here, the 10-and-unders, who hardly stirred in their seats during those 90 minutes. That can confidently be taken as a sign of satisfaction, or at least contented distraction." JOE DZIEMIANOWICZ of the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS says "Eat your heart out, Ebenezer. There's a new holiday humbugger in town. He's a mean, green,...

The Phantom of the Opera

Join me for a little jaunt down memory lane to a magical place that is alive and well. Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, directed by theatre legend Harold Prince and produced by Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Group, is the longest-running show in Broadway history. A recent revisit to this lavish production got me to thinking about what it takes to make a show age so beautifully.Well, you start with a story that reeks of sexuality, mystery, innocence and passion. Then you...

Waitress

Waitress is a musical that will leave you fahklempt, because of Sarah Bareilles' sublime music, but seriously unsatisfied with the decision to overstuff this story.There are a few basic and necessary ingredients in writing a story. On the one hand there is the three character rule. Two main characters, one of whom - the primary - is driving the piece (Romeo tumbles for Juliet), and a third character whose presence affects the plot. Romeo kills Mercutio and things go south. We see this all the...