Off-Broadway

Even the soberest of theater-goer can surrender all hope, for there is no resisting the wildly addictive music and lyrics of <a href="/show/mack-and-mabel">Mack &amp; Mabel</a>, the 1974 Broadway also-ran, featuring a tough dose of booze and pills, that launches the 2020 <a href="/theatres/new-york-city-center">New York City Center</a>'s Encores! series. Jerry Herman's inspired score, injected with sparkly classics and lesser known gems alike, is here in glorious health, courtesy of a full-throated company of 30, backed by a 28-piece on stage orchestra.The book though, by Michael Stewart, is sometimes as troubled as its characters. It is based on the real-life, doomed relationship between Hollywood director Mack Sennett (Douglas Sills) and Mabel Normand (Alexandra Socha), the actress who would become his leading lady and part time object of desire. Indeed, the ampersand of the show's title is a bit misleading. Mack and Mabel are not so much a fully evolved romantic couple as they are two steadfast individualists who benefit from each other, until they don't.Under the stalwart direction of Josh Rhodes, and covering the years 1911 to 1930, the work is staged as a kind of memory play with Mack occasionally stepping out of the action to express his general self-hatred and acknowledge his mistakes of the heart. Sills is in full anti-hero leading man mode with his booming voice and debonnaire style intensifying Mack's tragic need for commercial success at all costs. Socha, meanwhile, is enchanting in her A Star Is Born transformation from an unknown who likes a good sarsaparilla to a movie star heroine with a taste for heroin. Alas, the need for a happy ending denies both characters a fitting finale.Among the many musical highlights of the first act, there is one of Herman's catchiest comic pieces, "Look What Happened to Mabel," which announces the actress's rise from her lowly waitress status ("Miss B.L.T. down is the toast of the town."), and the foreboding "I Won't Send Roses" where Mack advises his would-be wife, "Forget my shoulder when you're in need."A delightful entr'acte, under the baton of Rob Berman, transforms into a loving memory of Herman with photos of the late composer dropping down from the fly loft. Then comes "When Mabel Comes in the Room," a number that so wants to emulate Hello Dolly's title song that it's downright touching. But the night's most delicious sequence is also its darkest, a one-two punch deep in the second act showcasing two Herman songs with optimistic facades that shatter under the reality of fatal attractions. First, Socha stops the show with a heartbreaking "Time Heals Everything," at a point where it is clear that time will heal nothing. Then, right on its heels, comes "Tap Your Troubles Away," pretending to be a joyful full-company dance number (led with vigor by Lilli Cooper), but interrupted with bloodshed.Rounding out the primary cast, several supporting actors give it their best shot, despite being denied songs or much of a storyline. These include Ben Fankhauser as Frank, the guy Mabel should have loved, Michael Berresse as William Desmond Taylor, the man who steals Mabel away, and Major Attaway as Fatty Arbuckle. Fatty is portrayed as a jiggly sweetheart, but it's a tough buy-in that ignores his 1921 murder scandal. Tributes to Sennett's cinematic contributions, a pie fight and an extended Keystone Kops sequence, are well choreographed but just shy of hitting the proper comic timing, given the production's brief rehearsal period.(Photo by Joan Marcus)<div class="block block-block contextual-links-region " id="block-block-9"><div class="block-inner clearfix"><div class="block-title"><h2>WHAT THE OTHER CRITICS SAID</h2></div></div></div>"The Encores! production of Jerry Herman's Mack &amp; Mabel&nbsp;was announced months before the composer died,&nbsp;in late December, at 88. It wasn't planned as a tribute, but it makes a proper homage nonetheless. Not because this showbiz show, which opened on Wednesday night at New York City Center, is one of his greatest works or biggest hits — like Hello, Dolly!,&nbsp;Mame&nbsp;or La Cage Aux Folles&nbsp;— but precisely because it isn't. Even a famous artist's life, for all its grand successes, is made up too of the also-rans, the hatchlings that never flourish in the world. Mack &amp; Mabel, whose only Broadway outing lasted all of 66 performances in 1974, is one of those, and this revival doesn't fix that, can't magic away Michael Stewart's troubled book. Herman's score, though, has such an embracing loveliness that it trails you right out the door post-show, its romance buoying you like a gentle tide through the Midtown streets. That graceful hummability, in songs like "I Won't Send Roses" and "Time Heals Everything," is the reason people have kept hoping for some way to make Mack &amp; Mabel&nbsp;work." Laura Collins-Hughes&nbsp;for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/theater/mack-and-mabel-review.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>

Review of Encores! Mack and Mabel at New York City Center

Alexandra Socha & Douglas Sills in Mack and Mabel

Encores! Mack & Mabel [20000]

Encores! Mack & Mabel

The format of Alice Birch's <a href="/show/anatomy-of-a-suicide">Anatomy of a Suicide</a>,&nbsp;currently enjoying its US premiere at the <a href="/theatres/linda-gross-theater">Atlantic Theater Company</a>, has been described as experimental.&nbsp;Which surprises me since Ringling Brothers Barnum &amp; Bailey has been using the three-ring circus format for over a hundred years now.&nbsp;Of course, the circus is not trying to provide a narrative or explore complex familial and societal relationships while Birch is.And therein lies the rub.&nbsp;When you present an audience with three separate events to absorb at once, at the circus, whether you watch the lion-tamer or the dog act is purely a matter of personal preference and will not affect your understanding or enjoyment of the experience as a whole.&nbsp;It's quite a different matter when you are exploring the carryover implications of mental health problems on three generations of women in a small theater while three different stories are unfolding on stage at the same time.Because no matter how good the writing and acting is - and make no mistake, Anatomy of a Suicide&nbsp;can lay claim to excellence in both categories - it is virtually impossible not to miss about a third of what's going on. When three scenes are unfolding on stage, which they are about 75% of the production, the most you can actively follow at once are two.&nbsp;And even then, you're going to miss some of the subtle nuances of what you have been able to absorb.The three narratives unfolding throughout the play revolve around Carol (Carla Gugino), who is suicidal before she has her daughter and struggles to stay functional for the sake of her child, even undergoing electroconvulsive therapy (formerly known as electroshock therapy). Then there is Carol's daughter Anna (Celeste Arias) and her mental health issues as the unmoored daughter of a woman who she feels didn't love her enough to stay alive.&nbsp;And finally, there is Anna's daughter Bonnie (Gabby Beans) whose ability to connect to others emotionally and her life choices are completely shaped by the suicidal legacy of her mother and grandmother.Unfortunately, I don't think director Lileana Blain-Cruz has done everything possible to provide intentional focus for the audience.&nbsp;Admittedly a difficult task when Birch has structured the play so that multiple events unfold simultaneously.&nbsp;What winds up happening is that focus is pulled by whatever scene is either the loudest or the closest to an individual audience member, not necessarily what is most important to the arc or understanding of the overall story.&nbsp;Both my guest and I missed different essential pieces of the story because our attention was on another part of the stage in a different scene when they were revealed.All three principal women gave powerful performances, and the subject matter is compelling, but I left the theater feeling frustrated, feeling like I had missed too much to really grapple with the juicy bits I had been served.(Photo by&nbsp;Ahron R. Foster)<div class="block block-block contextual-links-region " id="block-block-9"><div class="block-inner clearfix"><div class="block-title"><h2>WHAT THE OTHER CRITICS SAID</h2></div></div></div>"Cleareyed, comfortless, often dazzling, like sun on ice, Anatomy of a Suicide&nbsp;follows three generations of women tethered to life by the thinnest possible filament. Staged simultaneously across three time periods — seemingly the 1970s, the 1990s, the 2030s — it explores, unflappably, the interior devastation that leads at least two of these women to take their own lives." Alexis Soloski&nbsp;for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/18/theater/anatomy-of-a-suicide-review.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>"The structure of the play is disorienting, at times even overwhelming. But Lileana Blain-Cruz's direction provides clarity amid the cloud of pain. The production is exquisitely timed and calibrated, from the precision of the actors' coordinated dialogue to the brief thaws of Jiyou Chang's glacial lighting and the eeriness of Rucyl Frison's sound." Adam Feldman&nbsp;for <a href="https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/anatomy-of-a-suicide" target="_blank">Time Out New York</a>"The three stories take place concurrently, with overlapping dialogue that finds the actors repeating the same words but in very different contexts. You may find yourself dropping out of one narrative to follow another more closely, and then deeply regretting having missed something crucial in your self-imposed detour. There are more than a few moments where you'll want to hit the rewind button. Anatomy of a Suicide&nbsp;is a play that makes you work to sort out the details and put them in place. Paying attention has its rewards." Robert Hofler&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thewrap.com/anatomy-of-a-suicide-theater-review-carla-gugino-alice-birch/" target="_blank">The Wrap</a>"Everyone toils away during Alice Birch's new play,&nbsp;Anatomy of a Suicide: The audience, which attempts to decipher three separate but interconnected storylines being depicted simultaneously; the actors, who display perfect, split-second timing as they deliver dialogue constructed with the complexity of a musical fugue; and most of all the British playwright herself, who has created this jigsaw puzzle of a theatrical event that seems less designed to convey its provocative themes than to illustrate her formalistic cleverness." Frank Scheck&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/anatomy-a-suicide-theater-review-1279744" target="_blank">Hollywood Reporter</a>

Review of Anatomy of a Suicide at Atlantic Theater Company

Carla Gugino & Jason Babinsky in Anatomy of a Suicide

Anatomy of a Suicide [20451]

Anatomy of a Suicide

Over the past few years, playwright Kate Hamill has created something of a cottage industry, writing and acting in feminist stage adaptations of novels like Pride &amp; Prejudice and Little Women. But, until now, she had denied herself the true pleasure of penning a revenge fantasy. Her <a href="/show/dracula-and-frankenstein">Dracula</a>, teeming with powerful women and playing in repertory at the <a href="/theatres/classic-stage-company">Classic Stage Company</a>'s Lynn F. Angelson Theater, alongside a much more by the book adaptation of <a href="/show/frankenstein">Frankenstein</a> by Tristan Bernays, is biting in every sense of the word, a powerful tale of the overpowering.Hamill's script operates on several different planes. On one level, it is possible that the whole grisly vampire story is the delusional dream of a madwoman with daddy issues named Rensfield. Locked in an insane asylum, dressed in tatters and giggling like a loon, more often than not she is lurking in the shadows as the narrative unfolds. The meta beauty of this conceit is that Rensfield is played by the playwright. Hamill's delight in being physically surrounded by the work that literally did come from her own mind is palpable and fuels her loose and joyful performance.The play is also an homage to 1930's movie melodramas. Adam Honoré's lighting design is all sidelights, lanterns and shadows and, as directed by Sarna Lapine, the heroines move with cinematic eloquence while Matthew Saldivar, as the hapless head of the asylum, Doctor Seward, gallops around, tossing off loaded bits of intentionally corny dialog like, "Such stimulation is bad for her condition."But, most importantly, this Dracula is a corrective in overcoming the gothic tropes of damsels in distress and villains who wear evil on their sleeve. We know the dynamic has shifted early on as Count Dracula (a suave Matthew Amendt) looks up to a bright sky and proclaims, "What a beautiful sunny day." Also, crosses have no effect on him, his mouth is fang-free and his slight Transylvanian accent smacks of wealthy European executive. He is an apparent Everyman who can, parasitically, control those who seek him out. The lessons, as the real world too clearly reflects, are that outward appearances of dangerous men are deceptive, and that "all men could turn dangerous if given too much power."The women who do battle with the Count are all strong, smart and beautiful. Lucy (Jamie Ann Romero) draws parallels between succumbing to Dracula and succumbing to her potential fate as a housewife, ominously bemoaning that women cannot "stay mad young creatures - forever." Mina (Kelley Curran) the pregnant wife of the once bitten, twice as insufferable Jonathan (Michael Crane) channels her inner vampire killer once she learns what's at stake and Doctor Van Helsing (Jessica Frances Dukes, fierce, fast and furious) leads the way despite her outsider status. Adding atmosphere are the stricken wives of Dracula, Marilla (Lori Laing) and Laura Baranik's Drusilla (a character name borrowed from TV's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer").With the exception of the badass brown western-wear of Van Helsing, Robert Perdziola's costume design is an inspired blizzard of whites streaked with pools of bloodthirsty red. The former speaks to both purity and madness, while the latter signals rebirth as much as it does vengeance.(Photo by Joan Marcus)<div class="block block-block contextual-links-region " id="block-block-9"><div class="block-inner clearfix"><div class="block-title"><h2>WHAT THE OTHER CRITICS SAID</h2></div></div></div>"With Dracula, Kate Hamill, an actress and go-to adapter of literary classics, doesn't stint on story or symbolism. The script, which Hamill labels "A bit of a feminist revenge fantasy, really" is fun. Yet it is also fearless, and not in the Cosmo way. Hamill reads Dracula&nbsp;as a tale of toxic masculinity. Her scenes underline the theme with all the subtlety of a highway billboard. Can't a stake be just a stake? At least sometimes?" Alexis Soloski&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/17/theater/dracula-frankenstein-review.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>"Sarna Lapine, who also directed Hamill's&nbsp;Little Women, expertly navigates the script's wild tonal shifts as the production bounces between humor and horror, boosted by clever low-tech effects. (Strings of red beads unspool against Robert Perdziola's all-white costumes whenever blood needs to flow). All of the actors gamely sink their teeth into their parts, but this is the Van Helsing and Mina show, with Seward as their comic foil. Every time he shushes them or calls them hysterical or refuses to address Van Helsing as a doctor, their exasperation incites knowing laughs, especially from women in the audience.&nbsp;Dracula&nbsp;may not be subtle—the dialogue sometimes veers into dogma—but it is satisfying to see these ladies kick ass while rebelling against the subservient roles that so many stories want to cast them in." Raven Snook&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/dracula-and-frankenstein" target="_blank">Time Out New York</a>"Hamill's Dracula&nbsp;sees vampirism as a male club, not unlike the one in "The Stepford Wives," where Count Dracula (Matthew Amendt) recruits other men to join him in his subjugation of women. Doctor Van Helsing, the vampire slayer (Jessica Frances Dukes), is now a feminist on a mission, and asylum inmate Renfield (Hamill herself) has also undergone a sex change. Sarna Lapine, best known for her revival of Sunday in the Park With George&nbsp;starring Jake Gyllenhaal, directs with a broad musical comedy flair. Everyone from Elton John to Frank Wildhorn has tried to set Stoker's story to music and failed on Broadway. With the right songwriter, Hamill and Lapine could have a hit tuner on their hands. Until then, this Dracula&nbsp;has a weird pulse and rhythm all its own." Robert Hofler&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thewrap.com/dracula-frankenstein-theater-review-kate-hamill-tristan-bernays/" target="_blank">The Wrap</a>&nbsp;

Review of Dracula at Classic Stage Company

Matthew Saldivar, Kelley Curran & Kate Hamill in Dracula

Though created 80 years apart, Mary Shelley's <a href="/show/frankenstein">Frankenstein</a> and Bram Stoker's <a href="/show/dracula-and-frankenstein">Dracula</a> are pop-cultural close cousins. Their gothic bond was forged in 1931, when each received its own horror flick treatment, with Boris Karloff cast as the monster born from the dead and Bela Lugosi as the vampire that would not die. Since then, the works have been satirized, sexualized, analyzed and animated. And now, the <a href="/theatres/classic-stage-company">Classic Stage Company</a> resurrects them for the Off-Broadway stage, in a repertory cycle of two experimental, yet starkly different productions at the Lynn F. Angelson Theater.Frankenstein, as adapted (in 2017) by Tristan Bernays and placidly directed by Timothy Douglas, takes a decidedly minimalist approach, with just two actors, limited costuming and no discernible makeup. Rob Morrison is the one-man chorus. He narrates, strums a few different string instruments that, if not exactly furthering the action, sets a mood, and voices a variety of doomed to be strangled characters. Stephanie Berry portrays The Creature and if it is at first surprising that an African American woman is inhabiting the role, one realizes soon enough that when it comes to portraying the undead, any casting is against type.Rather than forging any sort of contemporary sociological statement, the creative team has opted to let Shelley's work speak for itself. That is, once it learns to speak. The first quarter of the 80 minute one-act is primarily concerned with the creature coming to life, learning the joys and dangers of the natural world and very slowly gaining language skills. Thus, Berry does a lot of grunting and gesticulating. One clever moment successfully transforms the monster's moans into an understanding of music, but it is otherwise a long slog.Once the creature has grasped English, words spill forth in full Victorian splendor. Bernays has picked the meatiest swaths of Shelley's novel and serves them up in heightened language, primarily in narrative passages spoken directly to the audience. "I left the woods in the deep decay of autumn and trudged into the bare bones of winter, the earth beneath me hard as my heart." The storytelling is pleasing to the ear yet, as staged, the misery of both the monster and the monster builder is undercut by a lack of theatricality and seemingly intentional deadpan manner. Not helping matters, the essence of Dr. Victor Frankenstein is scattered. While it makes good dramatic sense to have Berry inhabit both creature and creator, the doctor is initially portrayed by Morrison. When Berry suddenly takes over the representation, it is more confusing than enlightening.John Doyle, the fine musical director who is bringing <a href="/show/assassins">Assassins</a> to CSC in April, pitches in as scenic designer. His sparse offerings include a large table that works well as the slab upon which the brute takes its first breaths, but then mostly just gets in the way. Meanwhile, a full-length mirror goes under utilized. The creature at one point peers at its own hideous visage, but in a tale that explores the duality of mankind, more reflection, of every type, would have been welcomed.(Photo&nbsp;by Joan Marcus)<div class="block block-block contextual-links-region " id="block-block-9"><div class="block-inner clearfix"><div class="block-title"><h2>WHAT THE OTHER CRITICS SAID</h2></div></div></div>"Bernays's reimagining doesn't lack for theatricality. And by foregrounding the creature's experience and delaying the violence, Bernays solicits our empathy for him — a provocative choice, as Shelley skews a lot more equivocal. In denaturing the stage action from the narrative, though, the play makes it possible to admire Berry's certified-organic artistry and Morrison's haunting accompaniment, without feeling anything like unease. Is it alive? It is not." Alexis Soloski&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/17/theater/dracula-frankenstein-review.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>"Tristan Bernays' two-actor retelling of&nbsp;Frankenstein&nbsp;is more experimental and challenging. Stephanie Berry has a dual male role as both the Creature and the Doctor who created it; Rob Morrison handles all the other characters and supplies live music and sound effects. Clad in a sexless suit with no makeup, Berry is excellent and empathetic as the Creature, who just wants to be loved; at the outset of the play, it's fascinating to watch the monster slowly gain consciousness, speech and reason before our eyes." Raven Snook&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/dracula-and-frankenstein" target="_blank">Time Out New York</a>"As with the novel, the Creature here goes from grunting idiot to Rhodes Scholar in record time. Stephanie Berry gives a grand, pompous performance as the Creature. She also gives a grand, pompous performance as its maker, Victor Frankenstein. By the way, is it now politically incorrect to call it "the Monster"?" Robert Hofler&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thewrap.com/dracula-frankenstein-theater-review-kate-hamill-tristan-bernays/" target="_blank">The Wrap</a>&nbsp;

Review of Frankenstein at Classic Stage Company

Stephanie Berry in Frankenstein

<a href="/show/where-we-stand">Where We Stand</a>&nbsp;is a gem of a show. It sparkles from every direction you shine a light on it.&nbsp;Whether it is on playwright Donnetta Lavinia Grays' lyrical yet powerful writing style, director Tamilla Woodard's inclusive and imaginative staging, Grays' compelling and charismatic stage presence in this one-person show, or the thoughtful and absorbing questions the play poses, there is a glow from every facet the light hits.There is certainly nothing revolutionary about the basic plot device in Where We Stand.&nbsp;In fact, it's been done for millennia from Faust&nbsp;to Damn Yankees.&nbsp;In her work, Grays seeds a more direct reference to the legend of blues great Robert Johnson meeting the devil at the crossroads.&nbsp;The twist here which makes it thought-provoking and hard to condemn, is the circular nature of the wrong being righted by this particular pact.Man (Donnetta Lavinia Grays - she specifies in the notes to the play that this character is gender neutral and is to be played by anybody with a body), is a poor outcast who lives on the edge of town and toils fruitlessly day in and day out on the rocky soil of the land left to them (using the gender neutral them/their pronouns) by their mother, and lives in the tumbled-down shack they inherited.&nbsp;They are, as they put it "a milestone" that marks a spot on the road into and out of town.&nbsp;Nobody sees them or speaks to them.&nbsp;So, when a well-dressed Stranger appears and talks to Man like a friend, and really sees them and understands them, it is no wonder that the glory of that feeling is something they want to hold onto.&nbsp;They aren't interested in prosperity or easy money, it is when the Stranger offers him the ability to give that to his community and become a respected part of them, that Man is tempted.What makes this&nbsp;WP Theater and Baltimore Center Stage co-production of&nbsp;Where We Stand&nbsp;an unmissable event at the <a href="/theatres/mcginncazale-theater">McGinn/Cazale Theater</a> is Donnetta Lavinia Grays' performance. She is not only an incredibly talented actor playing a myriad of roles distinctly and easily from moment to moment without missing a beat, but she is mesmerizing.&nbsp;She has a Pied Piper quality about her that had a hip, New York City, seen everything, Off-Broadway audience breathlessly doing everything she indicated without words.&nbsp;This included humming, singing, clapping their hands, shaking hands, and hanging on every word as she ran up and down the audience, across the stage and back again.&nbsp;She looked audience members in the eye and pointed to them as she ascribed words and characters to them.&nbsp;She beamed at us when we did as she wanted us to without asking.&nbsp;I felt honored when she took my hand in both of hers and smiled at me as she was singing and shook it.At the end of Where We Stand&nbsp;the audience as the townspeople are asked to vote on Man's fate.&nbsp;The choice is justice or mercy.&nbsp;It makes you think.(Photo&nbsp;by Joan Marcus)

Review of Where We Stand at WP Theater

Donnetta Lavinia Grays in Where We Stand

The applause was tepid, and the cast, sensing a lack of enthusiasm, put on brave faces above&nbsp;awkward bows, and scooted to the wings.As the lights came up, struggling into my coat, I turned to the couple seated behind me and asked the woman what she thought.&nbsp;She oﬀered the classic New Yorker's downcast eyes paired with a shrug of her shoulders.&nbsp;Then, with a disdainful nod to her date, she responded, "Well, he liked it."This&nbsp;Mint Theater Company&nbsp;production of&nbsp;<a href="/show/chekhov-tolstoy-love-stories" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Chekhov/Tolstoy: Love Stories</a>, currently running at <a href="/theatres/theatre-row">Theatre Row</a>, is ambitious. Miles Malleson adapts Chekhov's An Artist's Story and Tolstoy's What Men Live By from the short story format to the theatrical, in back-to-back one-acts.It might have worked.&nbsp;In his notes, Malleson points to the authors shared dedication to social causes.&nbsp;An Artist's Story reﬂects Chekhov's struggle with the value of art while peasants starve.&nbsp;What Men Live By showcases Tolstoy's Christian paciﬁsm juxtaposing the honorable peasants with a corporeal angel.&nbsp;The honorable peasants — (Katie Firth and J. Paul Nicholas) — were ﬁne.&nbsp;The angel (Malik Reed), however, around whom the piece revolves, is presumably reaching for spirituality, but comes oﬀ as mad or perhaps just creepy.Changing a short story into a stage play should give one pause.&nbsp;It can be done, to be sure. It has been done.&nbsp;Consider the remarkable heights John Luther Long's modest 1898 story Madame Butterﬂy scaled.&nbsp;So, while it can be done, Malleson's eﬀorts to translate Chekhov and Tolstoy from page to stage, argues for leaving well enough alone.&nbsp;This production seeks to animate what apparently seeks to be static.The modest, shallow stage oﬀers little relief.&nbsp;The costumes were fun — faux fur works with stage lighting. The casting is oﬀ.&nbsp;Anna Lentz, playing the young daughter of an aristocratic Russian household, would beneﬁt from a dialect coach when playing either an aristocrat or a Russian. None of the three women in the Chekhov piece found a plausible sound.There were highs and lows but not so much dramatic pacing as ﬁts-and-starts.The signiﬁcant monologue in the Chekhov piece, delivered well enough by Alexander Sokovikov (who, incidentally seemed to be carrying this entire piece on his back), was interminable. On the other hand, the Aniuska character&nbsp;(Vinie Burrows) in the Tolstoy piece, was lightning in a bottle.&nbsp;In What Men Live By, Sokovikov playing a Russian noble breaks into&nbsp;Russian for no obvious reason, except perhaps, that the actor is Russian so can do it credibly.All in all, the production feels like it's being workshopped; not yet ready for an audience. There's a lot to see in New York and a lot to see on Theatre Row.&nbsp;This one is not a winner.(Photo&nbsp;by Maria Baranova)

Review of Mint Theater Company's Chekhov/Tolstoy: Love Stories at Theatre Row

Vinie Burrows in Chekhov/Tolstoy: Love Stories

"She lint rolled me," delights Harry, a jingle composer who's made a mint on a burger commercial, while reveling in how his shedding Labrador unwittingly played matchmaker for him and Louise, a Broadway chorus girl.In <a href="/show/darling-grenadine">Darling Grenadine</a>, a big-hearted and surprisingly tender if sometimes manipulative musical, it's only a matter of time before this mutt-assisted couple who meets cute runs headlong into hurdles. That goes with any new romance. But these two face the sort of giant game-changer that defies a quick fix.&nbsp;Daniel Zaitchik, who wrote the book, music and lyrics for this singing Manhattan love story, takes his time to reveal what makes Harry and Louise tick as well as that big problem. So there will be no overt spoilers here. Suffice it to say that what brings the two together--hair of the dog--is, in another sense, what threatens their future together.Because Harry and Louise are played with such overflowing, generous pours of appeal by Broadway actors Adam Kantor (<a href="/show/the-bands-visit">The Band's Visit</a>, Fiddler on the Roof) and Emily Walton (<a href="/show/come-from-away">Come From Away</a>) you root for them to make it. Can they?&nbsp;The mind can't help but flash to Mia and Sebastian in "La La Land."Zaitchik, who, like the show, is making his New York debut at the Roundabout's <a href="/theatres/harold-and-miriam-steinberg-center-for-theatre">Black Box Theatre</a>, puts his own stamp and voice on the time-tested trope of boy-meets-girl. The story is set today but cell phones are nowhere to be seen. Instead, characters talk via old-fashioned microphones. Presumably that's because nothing bends and upends time like falling in love. Songs, accompanied by a trio of musicians, are textured and easy on the ears and include dreamy ballads, Broadway-style pop and bluesy-jazzy torch numbers.The book, like some songs, has a playful side. Harry's pooch and devoted gay brother (Jay Armstrong Johnson, excellent) are both named Paul, and that's grist for punchlines. But the author has more in mind than being just another jokey rom-com. The story takes on grown-up themes of love, ambition, self-esteem and the legacies of family issues. The action begins and ends, we eventually realize, as a recollection related by Harry. It's a rich and tidy conceit, even if one wonders how Harry could remember private moments between Louise and a fellow actress (Aury Krebs) and his brother Paul and his boyfriend (Matt Dallal) if he wasn't there.Director and choreographer Michael Berresse's in-the-round staging is an effective and eloquent choice for characters hiding secrets, since the actors are always completely exposed. Projected line drawings on walls surrounding the playing space evoke a storybook feel as the action moves from stage doors to walk-ups to a cozy piano bar. Meanwhile, actors frequently mime petting Harry's pooch, whose barks and whimpers are trilled by a trumpeter (Mike Nappi). Whimsical? Weird? Mileage may vary.Darling Grenadine, in the end, similar to its titular tart and sugary red syrup, works a balancing act. The show treads a fine line between being charming and cloying as well as affecting and calculating, particularly when it comes to Paul, the pooch. Happily, most of the time it lands on the right side.(Photo by Joan Marcus)<div class="block block-block contextual-links-region " id="block-block-9"><div class="block-inner clearfix"><div class="block-title"><h2>WHAT THE OTHER CRITICS SAID</h2></div></div></div>"With Darling Grenadine,&nbsp;composer-lyricist Daniel Zaitchik emerges as a songwriter not only to watch but to enjoy at this very early moment in his career. Two years ago, he won the Kleban Prize for most promising musical theater lyricist, and with this new musical, it's clear that his music is every bit as wonderful as his sophisticated word play. That latter literary talent somehow does not extend to his coining a great title for this show: Darling Grenadine,&nbsp;which opened Monday at Roundabout's Off-Off-Broadway space, the Black Box Theatre. But there hasn't been a new score this unabashedly romantic and soaring since Adam Guettel gave us The Light in the Piazza,&nbsp;which hit Broadway back in 2005." Robert Hofler&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thewrap.com/darling-grenadine-theater-review-daniel-zaitchik-songwriter-musical/" target="_blank">The Wrap</a>"Darling Grenadine&nbsp;isn't fully successful in navigating its significant shift in tone from musical rom-com to serious dramatic territory, most of which is dealt with in the second act. And the storyline's alcoholism angle feels more than a little familiar, not explored in particularly interesting fashion. Nonetheless, the show proves both charming and bittersweet, delineating the troubled love story in uncommonly realistic fashion." Frank Scheck&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/darling-grenadine-theater-1278400" target="_blank">Hollywood Reporter</a>&nbsp;

Review of Roundabout Theatre Company's Darling Grenadine at Roundabout Underground

Emily Walton & Adam Kantor in Darling Grenadine

For a show that delves into the dangers of infidelity, the biggest gamble taken by The New Group's production of&nbsp;<a href="/show/bob-carol-ted-alice">Bob &amp; Carol &amp; Ted &amp; Alice</a> is its faithfulness to its source material, the 1969 screenplay by Paul Mazursky and Larry Tucker. Ignoring both the siren call of the women's movement and the effects of technology on the sanctity of marriage, director Scott Elliott delivers a deliberate period piece at <a href="/theatres/pershing-square-signature-center">Pershing Square Signature Center</a>, with book writer Jonathan Marc Sherman staying close at heel to the film's original dialog, as two California couples come to terms with their sexual boundaries. Fifty years of societal change later, some scenes hold more weight than they once did, while others have lost their steam.The creative team has taken other risks as well. Duncan Sheik and Amanda Green have musicalized the comedy, but this is a far cry from Sheik's other exploration of rebellion and lust, Spring Awakening. Melodically, the tunes bend toward Burt Bacharach, though avoid going full-on bossa nova. Lyrically, on-the-nose end rhymes rule the night ("Would you do this guy a favor?/Give me a little flavor?/Guys like me don't get a waiver/For a little misbehavior."). And rarely are the songs fully formed. They surface in fragments and reprise, like ideas rising into consciousness. Elliot has staged the production like a lounge act, complete with an on-stage band, a beaded curtain backdrop, corded hand-held mics and distracting bouts of audience participation.Fortunately, the chemistry of the title character actors is dynamic. As Bob, Joél Pérez charmingly transforms from untrusting to overly open. Jennifer Damiano plays Carol, a role that nearly destroyed Natalie Wood's career, with the perfect amount of passive-aggressive behavior. She is overjoyed that Bob can share his secrets with her and quietly incensed at just what those secrets are. Not for a moment is it believable that they are parents of a toddler, but their marital bond is undoubtable.Michael Zegen is known for playing the conflicted husband of an insistent wife on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." Here, as Ted, he does the same, but with Mr. Sherman, rather than Amy Sherman-Palladino, providing the dialog, he is an appropriately straight-laced ball of frustration. And Ana Nogueira offers a strong turn as Alice, a volatile mix of desperation and self-determination. The duo provide the evening's most poignantly contemporary scene, a sharply directed look at less than consensual sex between husband and wife. That tension transfers nicely to the tale's infamous conclusion with the foursome all tussling under the same sheet, having shed costumer Jeff Mahshie's excellent fashion choices.The downfall of any double date is the presence of a fifth wheel and such is the case here with a character called the Band Leader who serves as narrator, serenader and portrayer of incidental characters. The role is performed by, of all people, Suzanne Vega. While it is a treat to hear her one-of-a-kind timbre, it is nearly impossible to shake off her history as a 1980's New York folk icon, a miscast cat in this hipster Los Angeles. Nor is it clear whether Vega has been asked to deliver fully realized characters, or merely suggestions of their presence, most notably in a terribly conceived moment where she speaks as Horst, the Austrian tennis pro that Carol has brought to bed. Cross-gender acting is one thing, but this gender indifference reads as lazy.(Photo&nbsp;by Monique Carboni)<div class="block block-block contextual-links-region " id="block-block-9"><div class="block-inner clearfix"><div class="block-title"><h2>WHAT THE OTHER CRITICS SAID</h2></div></div></div>"The sirens of sexual revolution sing with surprising gentleness in&nbsp;Bob &amp; Carol &amp; Ted &amp; Alice,&nbsp;the New Group's musical adaptation of Paul Mazursky's 1969 movie.&nbsp;The prime asset of this friendly but toothless show, which opened on Tuesday night at the Pershing Square Signature Center, is Duncan Sheik's pastel score, a hazy evocation of roads not taken by two square, 30-something couples floundering through a bewildering new world of erotic freedom." Ben Brantley&nbsp;for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/04/theater/bob-carol-ted-alice-review.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>"Only in the show's final 20 minutes do you get a sense of what might have been. Decked out in Jeff Mahshie's fabulous mod costumes, the two couples attempt to shed more than just their inhibitions, yielding a collective anticlimax that is funny, messy and uncomfortable. Their simpers are the closest thing this show gets to a bang." Raven Snook&nbsp;for <a href="https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/bob-carol-ted-alice" target="_blank">Time Out New York</a>"Sheik appears to be channeling in his inner Burt Bacharach here, giving us soft, lulling tunes that have all the dramatic urgency of a babbling brook on Big Sur and, in effect, work to soften the satiric edge of Mazursky and Larry Tucker's screenplay." Robert Hofler&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thewrap.com/bob-carol-ted-alice-theater-review-duncan-sheik-suzanne-vega-michael-zegen/" target="_blank">The Wrap</a>"Bob &amp; Carol &amp; Ted &amp; Alice&nbsp;succeeds in evoking the era in which it's set, from the amusing props (a copy of the late-'60s self-help book&nbsp;I'm OK — You're OK&nbsp;receives prominent placement) to Jeff Mahshie's costumes, which unfairly look awful on the men and fabulous on the women. But without any fresh perspective on either its source material or the age of sexual liberation in general, the whole enterprise seems sadly pointless." Frank Scheck&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/bob-carol-ted-alice-theater-1275832" target="_blank">Hollywood Reporter</a>&nbsp;

Review of The New Group's Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice at Pershing Square Signature Center

Jennifer Damiano, Joél Pérez, Ana Nogueira & Michael Zegen in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice

<a href="/show/matthew-bourne's-swan-lake">Matthew Bourne's&nbsp;Swan Lake</a>&nbsp;is absolutely breathtaking.&nbsp;Adapted from the iconic ballet by Tchaikovsky, Bourne's&nbsp;Swan Lake&nbsp;reinterprets the traditional legend of an ill-fated prince who falls in love with a beautiful princess who has been cursed to live as a swan, transporting us to a surreal dream, in a near Brechtian tale of love and betrayal.On Lez Brotherson's spectacular oversize sets at <a href="/theatres/new-york-city-center">New York City Center</a>, The Prince (James Lovell) sleeps in a bed the size of a car, as maids and valets, in chic black satin bouffant dresses and uniforms wait on him hand and foot.&nbsp;Still a bit of a baby, spoiled and bored, he goes out on the town with the "in" crowd, to an opera and, later, to a seedy nightclub.&nbsp;The Prince eventually escapes to a lakeside park, where he meets the Swan (Matthew Ball).&nbsp;They dance among the oversize pillars of the colonnade, under an hypnotic moon glowing through white tree branches.&nbsp;With his athletic prowess, perfect technique and fluid port de bras, Matthew Ball is extraordinary.&nbsp;As the enigmatic Swan he dances with masculine grace, exquisite arabesque and long arms that move as if carving a path through cool butter.&nbsp;In a tender pas de deux with the Prince he lifts Lovell effortlessly as the two spin in their own private world.&nbsp;For his part, Lovell portrays the Prince with a sweetness and passion that break your heart.In the abandon of the moonlit night, the swans dance exuberantly, with incredible strength and stamina.&nbsp;Bourne builds rhythms and patterns as the tide of dancers ebbs and flows.&nbsp;This is not a caricatured role reversal, with men in pointe shoes, fluttering in imitation of female dancers.&nbsp;Barefoot, clad in feather breeches they are more Nijinsky than Pavlova.&nbsp;This choreography celebrates the swans as men.&nbsp;They get to be what they are, with every shake of the leg.&nbsp;Bourne has taken care with the female roles as well.&nbsp;From the adorable girlfriend (Katrina Lyndon) to the glamorous queen (Nicole Kabera) to the various guests at the ball, the women in this ballet are full characters, with costumes to match.&nbsp;From fabulous sparkled jumpsuit to piquant short sequined baby doll number to dazzling red ball gown, it's all so visually delicious.In Act III, striding into the palace for the Royal Ball, transformed from Swan to devilish Stranger, Ball again takes command of the stage, seducing everyone in sight (including the audience.)&nbsp;He is Swan as sexy beast.&nbsp;The Prince grows jealous as the Stranger taunts him by flirting with the women.&nbsp;As the ballet builds to a dramatic, heart-stopping finale, Bourne continues to reveal levels of nuance and allegory, in storytelling that operates at the highest level and yet remains very accessible.Bourne plays with the intrigue of both the Swan and the Prince being men.&nbsp;However, this does not feel as 'simple' as a discovery of same sex love.&nbsp;It is more universal, exploring the price anyone might have to pay for daring to seek happiness.&nbsp;Swan Lake bursts with passion, mystery and madness, barely containable by the mere confines of a theater.&nbsp;Buy your tickets before they sell out.(Photo by Johan Persson)

Review of Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake at New York City Center

The Cast of Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake [19075]

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake

The quality that makes Charles Busch a must-see performer is his sense of compassion. Over a diverse, 40-year career, his most important work has always involved putting on a dress and a fancy wig to create what has become a classy menagerie of doomed heroines. While his campy works are dotted with moments of raunch and outright silliness, Busch's obvious affection and respect for the women he depicts brings legitimacy and a downright beauty to his craft. For all the hilarity his characters conjure, the laughter never comes at their own expense.The latest example of this workmanship can be found at the Primary Stages mounting of Busch's 2018 play, <a href="/show/the-confession-of-lily-dare">The Confession of Lily Dare</a>&nbsp;at the <a href="/theatres/cherry-lane-theatre">Cherry Lane Theatre</a>. The piece is a mellow, at times moving homage to old-time movie melodramas. In the title role, Busch portrays an unlucky lass doing what she can to survive across five decades, transforming from "an innocent sixteen-year old gamine in a pinafore" to a sultry cabaret singer to a hard-nosed brothel owner to a forlorn death row inmate. Along the way, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, World War One and the Great Depression all have their way with her. But, as with any good tearjerker, it is a mother's love that has the greatest effect on Lily, raising her up while bringing her down.As the years and the wigs fly by, Lily grows ever more steely. In forging his creation, Busch combines a little Lotte Lenya, a lotta Marlene Dietrich and maybe a hint of Mae West. There are moments of operatic lip-syncing (this is a drag show after all), but Busch also croons some tunes in his own weathered voice. "Pirate Joe" is a parody of a chanteuse's lament ("It's not fun being a siren / To a Sidney or a Myron"), while his rendition of "It's Only a Shanty in Old Shantytown," is straightforward and effectively sorrowful. Ultimately, Busch channels his inner, and feminized, Jimmy Cagney, à la Angels with Dirty Faces, facing a murderer's punishment, as an unhelpful Irish priest counts down Lily's final minutes.A powerhouse ensemble of five accompany Busch, ably handling a multitude of supporting characters. An endearing Nancy Anderson portrays Emmy Lou, a good-hearted hooker who has a thing for getting hitched (the "left hand, third finger routine" as she likes to call it). Her sidekick, Mickey, is played with a big heart by Kendal Sparks. Christopher Borg, in a whirl of costumes and accent changes, makes the most of a parade of minor characters. Howard McGillin is debonnaire and devilish as the villain, Blackie Lambert. And Jennifer Van Dyck sparkles first, hilariously, as Lily's cranky and conniving aunt and later as Louise, the apple of Lily's eye. Director and long-time Busch collaborator Carl Andress gives his star room to work and finesses the multitude of costume changes (all gorgeous, by Rachel Townsend and Jessica Hahn) with ease. And B.T. Whitehill's set design is one part vaudeville theater house, two parts explosion at the lingerie factory, an appropriately frilly confessional.(Photo by Carol Rosegg)<div class="block block-block contextual-links-region " id="block-block-9"><div class="block-inner clearfix"><div class="block-title"><h2>WHAT THE OTHER CRITICS SAID</h2></div></div></div>"You could call this camp heaven, and indeed Lily Dare, a Primary Stages production,&nbsp;offers both the euphoria and the shabbiness that term can suggest." Jesse Green&nbsp;for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/29/theater/confession-of-lily-dare-review-charles-busch.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>"A brightly fruity cocktail of wisecracks, hard knocks and cheap sentiment,&nbsp;The Confession of Lily Dare&nbsp;offers (as someone says of Lily's nightclub act) "entertainment that ranges from the ribald to the exquisite."" Adam Feldman&nbsp;for <a href="https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/the-confession-of-lily-dare" target="_blank">Time Out New York</a>"Busch's longtime collaborator Carl Andress directs with cinematic panache and a nice sense of pacing, aided by Rachel Townsend's striking costumes and B.T. Whitehill's evocative set." Thom Geier&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thewrap.com/the-confession-of-lily-dare-theater-review-charles-busch-camp/" target="_blank">The Wrap</a>"The Confession of Lily Dare&nbsp;fairly begs the question: Why stay home watching old films on Turner Classic Movies when you can see Charles Busch send them up in his gloriously campy, cross-dressing fashion? Returning to the parodistic style with which he made a name for himself in such comedies as&nbsp;Vampire Lesbians of Sodom,&nbsp;Psycho Beach Party&nbsp;and&nbsp;Die, Mommie, Die!&nbsp;(the last two also made into movies), the actor-writer here delivers an amusingly loving send-up of the sort of melodramatic, pre-Code weepies that used to star the likes of Ruth Chatterton, Barbara Stanwyck and Bette Davis." Frank Scheck&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/confession-lily-dare-theater-1274181" target="_blank">Hollywood Reporter</a>&nbsp;

Review of Primary Stages' The Confession of Lily Dare at Cherry Lane Theatre

Kendal Sparks, Charles Busch, Christopher Borg, Nancy Anderson, Jennifer Van Dyck & Howard McGillin in The Confession of Lily Dare

Broadway

The new musical [*Kimberly Akimbo*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25458-kimberly-akimbo-tickets) has been decades in the making — well, sort of. David Lindsay-Abaire’s same-named play *Kimberly Akimbo* premiered with Manhattan Theatre Club in 2003, and his musicalized version premiered with Atlantic Theater Company in 2021 before quickly transferring to Broadway the following year.

Now a contender for the Tony Award for Best New Musical, *Kimberly Akimbo* follows Kimberly Levaco, a 16-year-old teen in New Jersey with a rare disease that causes her to age four times the average rate. Kimberly looks like she’s 70something, and she’s got resentful parents, a scheming aunt, and an expected short lifespan.

Despite it all, she has a verve for life, brimming with the hopes and dreams of teenhood while ice skating and chasing friendships and crushes. As it made its way uptown, the quirky tuner, with a book and lyrics by Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori, found its sound and its heart. (And [seven more Tony nominations](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/2023-tony-award-nominees-announced).)

At a live recording for SiriusXM in New York City, the cast of *Kimberly Akimbo* shared their journeys with the lauded show. Victoria Clark, a Tony nominee for playing the title Kimberly, first learned of the musical project before the pandemic.

“*Kimberly Akimbo* has been in my life for more than three years,” said Clark. “I've been living with [Kimberly] and trying to get to know her all this time… I've been living with the script and the music for a long time.”

Justin Cooley, who stars as the big-hearted, tuba-playing Seth, joined the musical project fresh out of high school after being a fan of Tesori’s for years. “I didn't feel super prepared, and I didn't know if I could make it happen, but I knew I had to take the chance,” said Cooley, who also earned a Tony nomination for his performance.

Olivia Elease Hardy and Nina White, who portray members of the high school show choir, were classmates at Michigan State University. When Hardy got a callback for *Kimberly Akimbo*, she reached out to her fellow graduates in New York City to see if anyone had an open couch.

White, who had been a New York resident all but two days, offered up her futon. Hardy was tight-lipped about the project, but little did she know, White was also called back, and the two performed sides together at the audition. “It’s been so nice to have one of my closest friends beside me for this ride,” said Hardy.

When Lindsay-Abaire’s play premiered at MTC, Clark was in *The Light in the Piazza* and missed the production. “It starred the iconic Marylouise Burke, who is about as different a Kimberly as you can find on planet Earth from moi — she’s brilliant,” said Clark with a laugh.

However, being part of its second go-around has been a real gift. “David and Jeanine talk about how they feel adapting this from a play to a musical has made the whole piece deeper and more beautiful in some ways,” Clark added.

Bonnie Milligan, who stars as Kimberly’s jailbird Aunt Deb, shared that the process of transferring the show uptown honed it further. “One of the things that the team really focused on in moving from off Broadway to Broadway was deepening the work,” said Milligan, who is nominated for her performance. “They made it more intimate and beautiful.”

Character-wise, the adults got a revamp. “This round really deepened the adults in her life because we're a little bit dysfunctional,” said Milligan with a laugh. The creative team aimed to make the adult characters as real as possible, despite the show’s absurd situations. The dichotomy leaves “audiences laughing and also feeling all the feelings,” said Milligan.

The heartfelt music really drives the musical’s emotional narrative. Tesori worked closely with the cast to develop musical throughlines and hone in on the storytelling. At Atlantic Theater Company, one run-through focused solely on transitions, so Tesori could identify which characters to highlight musically from scene to scene. “She is, I think, one of our greatest living composers. She's a genius,” effused Milligan.

Cooley added, “She really helps not only build the world but also our characters.” An electric guitar riff in Cooley’s solo number “Good Kid” unlocks an edgier side to his goody-two-shoes character. “It shows a different side, and she gives you so many different things to think about as you're building your own character… She composes in the style of the character; she's the heartbeat of the person.” Indeed, the score ranges from bouncy ukulele tunes to rollicking belts.

The process of building up the characters and the songs for the Broadway run was incredibly collaborative. Milligan workshopped her show-stopping number “Better” with Tesori in the basement of Atlantic Theater Company. Together, the pair zeroed in on the character’s tactics in the song. “That was one of the best times in my entire life — having Jeanine Tesori say, ‘Can I build something on you?’ Absolutely, ma'am!”

Even after its yearslong journey to the [Booth Theatre](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/booth-theatre), the close-knit cast still lines up in the wings to watch certain scenes night after night, a testament to the musical’s magic and staying power. For his part, Cooley enjoys watching the show choir’s singing entrance. “It’s complex and dynamic every night — they all have something different going on, and it is so awesome,” said Cooley.

Get [*Kimberly Akimbo*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25458-kimberly-akimbo-tickets) tickets now.

[![Book Tickets CTA - LT/NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/3qAtGOdQq9x3k1WcHlaJnw/90ece91bbe47ed07e142c2e43c7a7a3f/BookTickets-250.png)](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25458-kimberly-akimbo-tickets)

*Photo credit: The cast of Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway. (Photos by Joan Marcus)*

The cast of 'Kimberly Akimbo' on how the story got better with age

kimberly akimbo-1200x600-NYTG 5

Children under 4 are not permitted in the theatre.

Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway - NYC

Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway

The cast of *Kimberly Akimbo* shared their journeys with the show and how the play-turned-musical transformed from its Off-Broadway premiere to Broadway.

Think you haven't heard of Max Martin? Think again. You're more familiar with the Swedish music executive than you know if you've heard Britney Spears's "...Baby One More Time," Bon Jovi's "It's My Life," The Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way," or dozens of other chart-toppers the five-time Grammy Award winner wrote and/or produced over the past three decades.

He is, to be fair, a famously private person. And unless they also perform their tunes, songwriters don't often get public attention for their work. Or, for that matter, dedicated Broadway musicals a la Carole King, ABBA, or [Neil Diamond](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24254-a-beautiful-noise-tickets).

But Martin, with an extensive catalog of 250-plus songs, has made just as seismic an impact on popular music as any performer. He had the idea to fashion his songs into a musical years ago — and in 2019, that thought became a reality with the world premiere of [*& Juliet*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25598-and-juliet-tickets) in London. The pop musical has now earned nine Tony nominations, including Best Musical, for its 2022 Broadway transfer.

The *& Juliet* team has called him the "Shakespeare of pop," so it's fitting that 30 of his songs score a show inspired by a Shakespeare play: *Romeo & Juliet*. The musical picks up just before that play's end, when Juliet suddenly decides not to die and instead ditches Verona in search of new life, new friends, and new loves.

Shakespeare's play has been around centuries longer than Martin's songs, but those were the true genesis of *& Juliet*. He remained closely and enthusiastically involved every subsequent step of the way — Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe, who plays Shakespeare's wife Anne Hathaway, described him as "a kid in a candy store during this whole process."

The cast and creatives' excitement to work with Martin, in turn, was mutual, and they shared how Martin's influence lives in everything the audience hears. The journey begins in fair Canada, where we lay our scene...

Get [*& Juliet* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25598-and-juliet-tickets) now.

[![Book Tickets CTA - LT/NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/3qAtGOdQq9x3k1WcHlaJnw/90ece91bbe47ed07e142c2e43c7a7a3f/BookTickets-250.png)](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25598-and-juliet-tickets)

![& juliet shakespeare-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/53RTUI6GyKgRnImtcjcY3E/bb30b4fbd06964fe678c5d7549bd4a73/__juliet_shakespeare-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

## Two writers, alike in dignity

Technically, it begins in the Martin family home, where Jenny Petersson, Martin's wife, said, "We should make a musical," Martin recalled. "And a long journey ahead started."

But Martin is an expert songwriter, not a scriptwriter. "I was insecure about how this is going to [be]," Martin admitted. "I really wanted it to be a great story, not just a bunch of songs — to have a purpose, so to speak."

One would expect someone with as prolific a career as Martin to take on the job. But it was Canadian writer David West Read — a relatively unknown name who hadn't won his Emmy Award for *Schitt's Creek* yet — who came up with the winning idea at the unlikeliest of times.

"I suffered a concussion, which worked out well because I couldn't look at screens or anything, so I was lying in a dark room listening to the playlist [of Martin's songs]," Read said. "There's so many songs about heartbreak and young love, and I thought, 'How do you put a brand to this?' Because Max Martin wasn't really known by anyone, even though he's the most successful songwriter [after] the Beatles." (That's statistically true — only Paul McCartney and John Lennon notched more Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles.)

"So I came up with the idea of Juliet from *Romeo & Juliet*," Read continued. "We're going to repurpose and reinvent these pop songs and it'll be great, but also reinvent a classic love story."

His idea won over the production team and Martin. "When he created this story and gave me an example of how the songs could actually work to tell this story, that's really when it started to come to life," Martin said.

![1 & juliet-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/49EUJ9kZqURbfXB5E6ptGQ/d797e6c8d37da845daafe20015083944/1___juliet-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

## Arise, fair sound

In *& Juliet*, Juliet first enlists her nurse, Angelique, to hit the road with her, but it takes a crew of friends old and new to enliven her adventure. Similarly, West and Martin couldn't refashion pop songs for the stage alone. Their crew included sound designer Gareth Owen, music director/orchestrator Dominic Fallacaro, and orchestrator/arranger Bill Sherman. (All three are Tony-nominated.)

When asked what convinced them to work on *& Juliet*, they all had the same answer: Martin. "The possibility of collaborating with the greatest songwriter of the last 25 years on songs that define your life is impossible to pass up," Sherman said. Fallacaro similarly called the opportunity a "no-brainer."

"I’d never met the guy [before *& Juliet*], but everyone behind the scenes in the music industry knows he’s a genius," Owen said. "Then I met him and realised he was nice as well as talented - frankly, between Max, Bill Sherman, and I? Well, it was a bit of a bromance!"

Sherman recalled a different kind of nervousness — not the bromantic kind — defining his and Martin's first meeting. "Max said two things: 'If a song is going to be a departure from the original version, go all the way. Don't half-ass it,'" Sherman remembered.

"The second thing that Max said was, "If it's not perfect, it goes in the trash." You can imagine me eight years ago, having no idea what the hell is going on in the world, and the greatest songwriter of our time looks at you dead in the eye in a very humbly Swedish way and goes, 'If it's not perfect, it goes in the trash.' I can safely say that was one of the most terrifying days of my life."

Having Martin on hand during London and Broadway rehearsals, though, helped ensure the sound of *& Juliet* was to his liking. "One of the coolest parts about getting this was getting access to the vault of Max," Fallacaro said. "We're not approximating what the synth sounds like. We're running it past someone who knows exactly what it's supposed to sound like."

"It's been so fun and rewarding reimagining and bringing some of the greatest songs of our generation onto a theatre stage, and to put a narrative force behind them," he added in a separate interview. "The challenge of fusing the traditional orchestral and band components of Broadway with the studio 'pixie dust' of synthesizers and drum machines was a tremendously rewarding experience."

"It might not be perfect," Sherman said of the final result, "but it's pretty damn close."

![2 & juliet-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/4uRxS4JCAwq28qRsfLQYse/a3e7a49d37437ce5ce8b0c37b59d75ed/2___juliet-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

## What's in a cast?

The final piece of Martin's songs' journey from studio to stage is the Broadway cast that sings them live every night. He worked directly with them in rehearsals, too, even scheduling one-on-one sessions to coach them on their singing performances. It didn't take long for him to become a familiar, friendly face — Wolfe said the cast's reactions to seeing him shifted from awe to "Oh yeah, it's Max."

"It was so scary, but at the same time, he's become a proud papa," said Lorna Courtney, a Best Actress Tony nominee for playing Juliet. "He wants us to succeed and do well, and the notes that he would give — it's all expertise, and it's all to better ourselves and the overall longevity of what we're doing."

"It's both exciting and not exciting, because he's there the whole time. You can't get rid of him!" joked Melanie La Barrie, who originated the role of Angelique in London and New York. "He's in the fabric of this musical. Because when we were making it in London, and again when we were making it here, he is here. He's giving us all of his energy and all of his insight and everything that he knows about his world, and now this world, because he knows this musical like his own skin."

Get [*& Juliet* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25598-and-juliet-tickets) now.

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How Max Martin shaped '& Juliet' on its road to Broadway

& juliet review-1200x600-NYTG

Contains some strong language. Recommended for ages 6+. Children age 4 and under will not be admitted into the theatre. Everyone must have a ticket, regardless of age.

& Juliet on Broadway - NYC 

& Juliet on Broadway

The Grammy-winning songwriter/music producer is behind the biggest pop hits of the '90s onward, and 30 of his songs fuel this Tony-nominated Broadway musical.

A Broadway designer's challenge is to immerse audiences in another place and time, conjuring it well enough that they feel a part of it even if they've never been. For the team behind [*Leopoldstadt*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26003-leopoldstadt-tickets), a 2023 Best Play nominee by Tom Stoppard, that's a loaded task.

On the one hand, *Leopoldstadt* is a lively drama about an extended Jewish family in 20th-century Austria, and its success comes from the fact that "we're invited into the Merz-Jacobowitzes' commonplace gatherings, debates, trysts, squabbles, and playtimes as though we, too, are kin," as [New York Theatre Guide's critic observed](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/reviews/leopoldstadt-broadway-review-tom-stoppard). Tony-nominated designers Richard Hudson (set), Brigitte Reiffenstuel (costumes), and Neil Austin (lighting) are integral to achieving that effect, sparing no detail on the well-to-do family's warmly lit, inviting manor with clothing to match.

On the other hand, the play quickly darkens as it inches ever closer to World War II, and Jewish Austria soon becomes the last place any audience member would want to be. But that feeling is also key to *Leopoldstadt*'s emotional heft. The design follows suit, with the house gradually deteriorating, the clothing getting simpler, and the warm lighting subtly becoming starkly cool.

The designers first undertook this task in 2020 when they mounted the world premiere of *Leopoldstadt* in London. "The production for Broadway was created from scratch, based on the London design," said Reiffenstuel. "We had the opportunity to sharpen the design and heighten some design ideas."

They made some of these changes out of necessity — the lighting equipment Austin used in London, for example, was no longer available by the time of the 2022 Broadway transfer. But the shift to new technology ended up deepening the storytelling. "The final act of the play is really enhanced by the ability of the [new] LED rig to produce strong cold blues," Austin noted, as the chilling light sets a melancholy, empty mood.

"Hopefully, [my lighting] supports the actors and Tom's story invisibly — subtly steering the audience’s focus and emotions to create a seamless whole of storytelling narrative," he continued.

![2 leopoldstadt-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/xRyCjmpDUeiKnh86mS1fh/21f4fd224d860b73f7d242e94e3dcbb5/2_leopoldstadt-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

Other tweaks were made with the audience in mind — Hudson amended his sets to better "facilitate quick, seamless scene changes," as *Leopoldstadt* has no intermission. On the costuming end, Reiffenstuel recognized that the play's dozens of characters are difficult to keep straight. That's partly intentional on Stoppard's part — a major theme of the play is how people and memories fade away in history — but the Broadway transfer allowed her to clarify things.

"[Director] Patrick Marber and I decided to color-code some of the characters’ clothing to make it easier for the audience to follow the character through the ages," she said. Rosa is in blue in 1899, in 1924, and in 1955. Sally is in brown in 1899, 1924, and 1938, and so on. We enhanced this idea in New York."

Their efforts have clearly succeeded. *Leopoldstadt* extended on Broadway multiple times (now through July 2) and has six total Tony nominations.

"I think the play has landed with so much more resonance on Broadway," said Austin. "That’s partly because we’ve had time to adapt and tweak the production, but it’s also undoubtedly the understanding and innate affinity the New York audience[s] have to the story."

It's unfortunate, of course, that this understanding is due to the wide-reaching effects of the Holocaust. But though the play is tragic, its reception in both the U.K. and the U.S. has made working on it a positive experience, reminding the designers — and audiences — of the unifying power of theatre. As Reiffenstuel said, "Art is a global language that communicates and connects us."

"Broadway and West End audiences for a Stoppard play are by and large the same," Hudson observed. "The intense concentration, the appreciation of the profundity of the ideas and words, the humour and the essential importance of the shared experience are the same on both sides of the pond.

"Different cities and collaborators, different cultures and traditions, all linked by one common objective – to make theatre that speaks to everyone."

Get [*Leopoldstadt* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26003-leopoldstadt-tickets) now.

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*Photo credit: The cast of Leopoldstadt on Broadway. (Photo by Joan Marcus)*

'Leopoldstadt' designers on how the play resonates across time and space

leopoldstadt-1200x600-NYTG

Recommended for 10 +. Children under the age of 4 are not permitted in the theatre.

Leopoldstadt on Broadway - NYC

Leopoldstadt on Broadway

The set, costume, and lighting designers of Tom Stoppard's family epic, all 2023 Tony nominees, spoke about how the show evolved from London to Broadway.

For the past 105 years, the Pulitzer Prizes have highlighted achievements in the arts, journalism, and literature. Many notable and impactful plays have been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, but that’s not the be-all-end-all of their recognition. Six Pulitzer-winning plays, classic and new, went up this Broadway season alone. What’s more, they all earned Tony nominations: [*Fat Ham*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27141-fat-ham-tickets), [*Topdog/Underdog*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25558-topdog-underdog-tickets), [*Between Riverside and Crazy*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26311-between-riverside-and-crazy-tickets), [*Cost of Living*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25892-cost-of-living-tickets), [*The Piano Lesson*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24256-the-piano-lesson-tickets), and [*Death of a Salesman*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25459-death-of-a-salesman-tickets). 

Whether a recent Pulitzer winner or a Pulitzer winner of decades past, each play explores the truths, struggles, and joys of being human. They examine queerness, race, sexuality, disability, legacy, and other deeply resonant themes. Each performance allowed audiences to see themselves represented, opened their eyes to aspects of the world they may not have considered before, or a little bit of both. New York Theatre Guide spoke with actors, writers, and producers from the six Pulitzer-winning plays up for Tony honors this year. 

![fat ham bway-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/zOOvFoV23sUWGl2zDgTZt/f1b5e13cb6f10404cf37736c43087393/fat_ham_bway-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

## *Fat Ham*

Throughout the years, many variations of Shakespeare's world-renowned Hamlet have premiered on stage, on screen, and even in books. [James Ijames](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/interviews/james-ijames-shares-the-ingredients-from-his-life-that-make-up-fat-ham)'s play *Fat Ham*, which won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, is the most recent Hamlet adaptation to take theatre by storm. In fact, *Fat Ham* earned an impressive five nominations this award season, including one for Best Play. 

The comedic drama is a Black, queer, contemporary retelling of *Hamlet*, taking place at a modern backyard barbecue. Ijames first read *Hamlet* in college for a student production and fell in love with the play; he started to work on what would become *Fat Ham* about eight years ago with the goal of making a variation of *Hamlet* set in the South. 

"There are a lot of queer people that live in the South; there are a lot of people that are surviving. And if I can give them a mirror of what their life is, that means a lot to me because I didn't have any mirrors," Ijames said. 

Over the pandemic, producer Mandy Hackett read the play and immediately knew it was something special. "I can remember exactly where I was, and when I read it for the first time, and still right now, I can just picture myself holding that script in my hands, and it was like James's words were just popping off the page to me," Hackett said.

The cookout is going on at the American Airlines Theatre through June 25. 

Get [*Fat Ham* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27141-fat-ham-tickets) now.

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![between riverside review-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/48qHFrUfO8m51en6GiCEov/d182b89d40cf7f6919ab5d314350e6ff/between_riverside_review-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

## *Between Riverside and Crazy*

Stephen Adly Guirgis’s *Between Riverside and Crazy* debuted off Broadway in 2014, and it won the Pulitzer the following year. In 2022, the show’s Broadway debut earned two Tony nominations: one for Best Play and one for Stephen McKinley Henderson for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play. 

McKinley Henderson was in a hotel room in Toronto when he found out he was nominated for his role as gruff patriarch Walter “Pops” Washington. “Sitting alone just makes you think of all the people who believed in you for so long,” he said. 

One of those people is Guirgis, Henderson’s longtime friend who wrote *Riverside*’s leading role specifically for him. The drama tells the story of how Pops, a retired New York City policeman, battles to keep his rent-controlled apartment on Riverside Drive, where he lives with his son and has unofficially taken in other down-and-outs that come to represent home as much as the apartment does. The play explores family and relationship dynamics, race, addiction, and more. 

This play is personal for Guirgis, and his choice to make the apartment its own character was reflective of his experiences. “When I was growing up, my parents didn't have a lot of money,” he said. “When my father died, I had, like, $2,500 in the bank, but he had that apartment. And it meant the world."

![topdog-1200x600-NYTG 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/4DnW7uRSz8LTWuu2VuIE7H/a6c7db1e1781c46c45da66ba0e39c2b3/topdog-1200x600-NYTG_2.jpg)

## *Topdog/Underdog*

In 2002, the dark comedy *Topdog/Underdog* debuted on Broadway to rave reviews, and playwright [Suzan-Lori Parks](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/interviews/suzan-lori-parks-reflects-on-20-years-of-topdog-underdog) won the drama Pulitzer for the play that same year. Parks wrote the play in 1999 and said of the writing process, "It was as if someone was pouring silver liquid down the back of my head. I've never had that experience in writing before; it just flowed through me." 

The show, which closed in January, is set in a rundown room at a boarding house and tells the story of two brothers, comically and infamously named Lincoln and Booth, and their struggle to make enough money to survive. 

After 20 years, the show's highly anticipated return to Broadway was a hit once more. It has been nominated for three Tony awards for Best Revival of a Play and both actors in the production, onstage brothers Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Corey Hawkins, were nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play. 

Parks explained that the audience was incredibly receptive to the play, saying, "When we embrace those two men in their broken, troubled, loving, striving state, we embrace that part of ourselves that is the same. People get it now in a way that they wanted to get it, maybe, 20 years ago." 

![piano lesson-1200x600-NYTG 5](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/3HhYMMBUjaVNj6R0LbAlZF/8180b3a904e1aee149d9838eace3111d/piano_lesson-1200x600-NYTG_5.jpg)

## *The Piano Lesson*

Playwright August Wilson had a storied career writing numerous heart-touching and award-winning plays, and his work continues to make an impact. Wilson’s *The Piano Lesson*, which initially premiered in 1987 and won the 1990 Pulitzer, came back to Broadway in the fall and was nominated for Best Play Revival. 

“We're very lucky that August Wilson's words are timeless, very lucky *The Piano Lesson* is this type of show that really speaks to a brand-new audience of people,” producer Brian Moreland said. 

*The Piano Lesson* is set in 1936 Pittsburgh, focusing on the Charles family as they decide what to do with their family heirloom piano, which has carvings from an enslaved ancestor. The show takes place in the home of elder Uncle Doaker Charles, the unofficial family historian played by Samuel L. Jackson, who received a Tony nomination for the role. 

Moreland explained two main reasons for reviving this show on Broadway, and the two are married — literally. One was getting to work with director LaTanya Richardson Jackson, and the other was Samuel L. Jackson. “This character of Doaker Charles is the heartbeat of the play, and it's such a quiet, graceful, layered performance,” Moreland said.

![doas 3-750](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/3sUfbyCyOo8XhGxt42OCWR/ee9acd2032526b851d92fb92e20f1f70/doas_3-750.jpg)

## *Death of a Salesman*

*Death of a Salesman* is a timeless classic tragedy by Arthur Miller, which first debuted on Broadway in 1949 and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama that year. Broadway revivals took the stage in 1975, 1984, 1999, 2012, and 2022. Each revival has received award nominations and wins, and this revival is no different. Its two Tony Award nominations are Best Lighting and Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Play by Wendell Pierce. 

“I was having feelings of considering whether my best days were behind me as an artist and questioning myself,” Pierce admitted. “Then I was presented this opportunity to play Willy Loman, which is one of the great challenges in the American canon of the theatre, and I leaped at the opportunity.”

The play, set in 1949 in the Loman home in Brooklyn, New York, looks back on failed salesman Willy Loman’s life through a montage of dreams, memories, and arguments on the cusp of his death. The play explores the idea of the American dream of success — also Loman’s dream — and how that differed so strongly from how his life turned out. Pierce, who previously played Willy in London, became the first Black man to play him on Broadway.

“I knew that I had a unique experience to connect with the play as an African American," Pierce said. “Who better to depict and explore how the American dream can be denied and turned into the American nightmare?”

![cost of living-1200x600 1-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/4sx5ql7dATb87hJnXSnBFl/bec3162b5864b0ddb49bfe69345e6efa/cost_of_living-1200x600_1-NYTG.jpg)

## *Cost of Living*

The 2018 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, *Cost of Living*, had its Broadway debut in the fall of 2022 after its Lucille Lortel Award-winning Off-Broadway run at New York City Center in 2017. The Broadway performance, with the original director and two original cast members, was also a hit. *Cost of Living* has been nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Play and Best Direction for Jo Bonney. Three actors, including original cast member Katy Sullivan, were nominated for their roles. 

Martyna Majok’s one-act drama examines two relationships, one between a graduate student with cerebral palsy, John, and his caregiver, Jess. The other relationship is between Ani, who became a quadriplegic following an accident, and her ex-husband, Eddie. This show explores the overlap between caregiving and being cared for and the intersections of oppression due to financial status, gender, and race.

Something of utmost importance to Majok is having disabled characters played by disabled actors. Sullivan, a quadriplegic, is nominated for her role as Ani. “My hope is, by the love that this piece is getting, it will hopefully make other producers and decision-makers understand the impact that authentic casting can make,” said Sullivan.

"I hope that this means that there's going to be more disabled playwrights and disabled actors on Broadway,” Majok added. “These shows belong on Broadway. These stories, these performances belong on Broadway.”

*In-article photo credits: Fat Ham, Between Riverside and Crazy, Topdog/Underdog, The Piano Lesson, Death of a Salesman, and Cost of Living. (Photos by Joan Marcus, Joan Marcus, Marc J. Franklin, Julieta Cervantes,Joan Marcus, and Jeremy Daniel.)*

Six Pulitzer-Prize winning plays are nominated for Tony Awards this season

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Fat Ham on Broadway - NYC

Fat Ham on Broadway

This season, six classic and contemporary Pulitzer Prize-winning plays, including new premieres and revivals, have earned at least one Tony Award nomination.

Start spreading the news! [*New York, New York*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26043-new-york-new-york-tickets) has released a new ticket block, with Broadway performances now on sale through January 14, 2024. Get *New York, New York* tickets now.

*New York, New York* centers on the against-all-odds love story between Jimmy and Francine, two young musicians in 1946 Manhattan. The show also follows various other young artists as they seek success, or just survival, in the city.

The show is loosely based on the 1977 Martin Scorsese film, which features songs by John Kander and Fred Ebb. All those songs, including the iconic title theme, are in the show, alongside cut songs from Kander and Ebb's other shows and new songs by Kander and Lin-Manuel Miranda. [Learn more about all the songs in *New York, New York*.](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/all-the-songs-in-new-york-new-york-on-broadway)

*New York, New York* is currently nominated for nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and multiple design awards. [Discover how the designers recreated 1946 New York.](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/how-the-new-york-new-york-designers-recreated-the-city-on-stage)

Get [*New York, New York* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26043-new-york-new-york-tickets) now.

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*Photo credit: New York, New York on Broadway. (Photo by Paul Solnik)*

'New York, New York' tickets on sale through January 2024

ny ny 2-1200x600-NYTG

New York, New York on Broadway - NYC

New York, New York on Broadway

The new Broadway musical, set in 1946 Manhattan, is nominated for nine 2023 Tony Awards and features a score by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The old adage says lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice, but this year, some [Tony Award nominees](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/2023-tony-award-nominees-announced) are defying that logic.

“Anything is possible!” said Natasha Katz, who is nominated for her lighting designs for both [*Sweeney Todd*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26216-sweeney-todd-on-broadway-tickets) and [*Some Like It Hot*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24262-some-like-it-hot-tickets). While the recognition is undoubtedly nice, per Katz, “It’s the community that I cherish so much. To be embraced like this feels incredible.”

Katz has long been a Broadway mainstay, first earning a Tony nod for *Beauty and the Beast* in 1994 before winning seven across her illustrious career. “I try to design every show with an open mind, starting with a blank slate. Every show is different,” she said. 

This season, she’s working on tonal opposites. “In *Sweeney*, I hope the lighting helps tell the tale of the light and dark of humanity through the visual of shadow and light. And the glorious Sondheim music! The lighting varies in tone with the score, from spooky and eerie, to light and airy,” she said. 

![5 some like it hot-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/4xXLSOfbiq73wS9e3skTJH/db46491d33d6e9170c91cff7be6a26a0/5_some_like_it_hot-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

“On the other hand, *Some Like It Hot* has bright, colorful lighting that constantly changes with every musical key change, accentuating the choreography, the music, and the story," she continued. "I’m proud that I was able to dig deep into two shows that required such different skills as a lighting designer.”

Katz isn’t the only designer pulling double duty this awards season: Scott Pask is up for the Best Scenic Design of a Musical award for both [*Shucked*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26987-shucked-tickets) and *Some Like It Hot*. And while Pask is technically competing with himself in the same category, that’s not how the esteemed designer sees it. 

“I don't have that inner competition anymore; I’m more wanting each project to be bettering itself, and that's why I'm so lucky and blessed to be working with this incredible director and these teams,” he said. “[Their] collaborations and conversations allow me to do the best work and to be recognized for these two shows.”

![1 shucked-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/1sRWPx9CnFY77Dc8QPcpPy/ba2c5cb94d87f7d89935cec82c38a3f9/1_shucked-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

[Jennifer Weber](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/interviews/choreographer-jennifer-weber-proves-her-versatility-on-broadway) is also doubly nominated in the same category: Best Choreography. Her dance moves for [*KPOP*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24236-kpop-tickets) and [*& Juliet*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25598-and-juliet-tickets)
were informed by separate sources — *KPOP* by the world of Korean pop and her collaborator MJ Choi, and *& Juliet* by her own recollection of the '90s American pop scene — with the goal being to “just make each show authentic to itself,” she shared. 

Unlike Pask and Katz, Weber is a first-time nominee — and the two nominations made for a double surprise. “I was so nervous, and I woke up early, and I had coffee with my girlfriend — we were watching the livestream, and my heart was beating out of my chest,” she recalled. “And then they’re going through the names listing people like Steven Hoggett, Casey Nicholaw, and Susan Stroman, and these are my idols. To hear those three names and then hear my name, I literally jumped up out of my chair. And then I heard my name a second time, and I fell back down.”

![& juliet review-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/4KooXN8L2Xz1gBBX1wixi4/53e5d190aa813cdfed2be4ac783ceb49/__juliet_review-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

One of her role models joins her as a double nominee. Nicholaw, who's been double-nominated in four previous seasons, is now representing *Some Like It Hot* in the Best Direction and Choreographer categories. “I love doing both jobs because I’m able to create the whole show as one piece and blend the numbers and scenes seamlessly with one voice,” he said. 

Rounding out the count of this year's dual nominees are David Lindsay-Abaire (book and lyrics for *Kimberly Akimbo*) Emilio Sosa (costume design for [*Ain't No Mo'*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25907-aint-no-mo-tickets) and [*Good Night, Oscar*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26390-good-night-oscar-tickets)), Jordan E. Cooper (for writing and starring in *Ain't No Mo'*), and Ben and Max Ringham (sound design for [*A Doll's House*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26989-a-dolls-house-tickets) and [*Prima Facie*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25983-prima-facie-tickets)). As with all the other nominees, Nicholaw sees the recognition as an engine “to just keep doing what you love to do and keep striving to get better at it,” he said.

The audience’s warm response doesn’t hurt, either. “The sheer number of people who have been writing me about how much they enjoyed and admired the show is what is really moving to me,” he said. “That makes me feel extremely proud.”

Get *[Sweeney Todd](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26216-sweeney-todd-on-broadway-tickets)* tickets now.

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*Top image credit: Sweeney Todd on Broadway. (Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)*
*In-article images credit: Some Like It Hot, Shucked, and & Juliet on Broadway. (Photos by Marc J. Franklin, Matthew Murphy, and Evan Zimmerman)*

Tonys times two: Meet the Broadway artists nominated for two Tonys this season

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2 sweeney-1200x600-NYTG

This season, several Tony Award nominees earned two acknowledgments across categories and productions for their exceptional work on multiple shows.

The official start of summer isn't until later in June, but you can get in the summer mood all month by planning an escape — at the theatre, that is! Theatre is a great way to travel to new worlds and escape the routine of daily life without jet lag or carsickness. And if you've already traveled just to get to New York, then make sure a show or two is a must-see item on your itinerary.

Broadway and Off-Broadway shows in June will whisk you away to places near and far, real and fantastical. Discover theatre shows opening in June below, and read our roundup of [top May theatre](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/new-york-theatre-to-see-in-may) to discover shows from last month that you can still see in June. You can also check out more fan-favorite [Off-Broadway and Broadway shows that will be around all summer](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/top-theatre-to-see-in-new-york-this-summer).

Plus, don't forget that the Tony Awards take place in June! Get [theatre tickets to the hottest Tony-nominated shows](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/whats-on/tony-award-nominees) now before they win. 

Get tickets to a New York show on New York Theatre Guide.

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## *Prima Facie*

Don't miss [Jodie Comer](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/jodie-comer)'s Broadway debut in this tour-de-force one-woman show through June 18. Comer commands the stage as Tessa, a brilliant defense attorney who reevaluates her entire profession after suffering an assault. She won an Olivier and an Evening Standard Award for her performance in London, and the show remains just as urgent and unmissable in New York.

Get [*Prima Facie* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25983-prima-facie-tickets) now.

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## *Fat Ham*

Join the cookout before it fizzles out on June 25! James Ijames Pulitzer-winning play *Fat Ham* takes Shakespeare's *Hamlet* and flips it on its head. Juicy, a queer, Black college student, is tasked with revenge, Hamlet-style — but he's not up for murder, so what's the alternative? The show serves up a healthy dose of comedy with sides of karaoke, charades, and healing. 

Get [*Fat Ham* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27141-fat-ham-tickets) now.

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## *Summer, 1976*

Summer doesn't start until June 21, but *Summer, 1976* is over on June 18. Don't miss your chance to see Tony nominees [Laura Linney](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/laura-linney) and [Jessica Hecht](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/jessica-hecht) on stage together, starring as two mothers who strike up an unlikely and life-changing friendship one summer.

Get [*Summer, 1976* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25993-summer-1976-tickets) now.

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## *Here Lies Love*

Love finally lies on Broadway — 10 years after its critically acclaimed premiere at The Public Theater, [David Byrne](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/david-byrne) and Fatboy Slim's musical *Here Lies Love* takes the Broadway stage from June 17. In an immersive disco setting with music to match, the show tells the true story of how Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos's regime rose in the Philippines and fell just as quickly at the hands of the People Power Revolution.

Get [*Here Lies Love* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27415-here-lies-love-on-broadway) now.

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## *Alex Edelman: Just For Us*

He's returning to New York just for us. Comedian Alex Edelman brings his hilarious stand-up show to Broadway after having three sold-out Off-Broadway runs last year. From June 22 to August 19 only, you can hear how he, a Jewish man, infiltrated a local neo-Nazi meeting after getting hate from the group online. A [five-star New York Theatre Guide review](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/reviews/alex-edelman-just-for-us-review-cherry-lane-theatre) called Edelman and the show "top-notch."

Get [*Alex Edelman: Just For Us* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24281-alex-edelman-just-for-us) now.

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## *The Doctor*

Juliet Stevenson reprises her acclaimed title role from London in Robert Icke's show. Adapted from Arthur Schnitzler's 1912 play *Professor Bernhardi*, *The Doctor* follows a Viennese doctor who refuses last rites for a girl who does not know she is dying, sparking a national public debate on ethics. See Stevenson's tour-de-force performance at the [Park Avenue Armory](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/park-avenue-armory) from June 3 to August 19.

Get [*The Doctor* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/28148-the-doctor-tickets) now.

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## *A Simulacrum*

What happens when a playwright/director and a magician team up to create a show together? Find out at *A Simulacrum*, playing through June 24. Tony-nominated playwright Lucas Hnath directs this show he created with sleight-of-hand artist Steve Cuiffo, who Hnath once asked to show him a few tricks. Cuiffo performs what happened next, and the result is sure to be magical.

Get [*A Simulacrum* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26024-a-simulacrum-tickets) now.

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## *One Woman Show*

Fans of *Fleabag* will love this performance by Liz Kingsman, off Broadway from June 14 after a lauded London run. Kingsman adopts a Fleabag-esque alter ego to lovingly spoof not only that series, but the slew of "messy woman" media that followed it. Moreso, though, she provides witty and hilarious commentary on why these types of "one woman shows" seem to be the only way funny women can succeed.

Get [*One Woman Show* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/28502-one-woman-show) now.

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## *Rock & Roll Man*

You may not know the name Alan Freed, but you definitely know the rock and roll songs he popularized on his radio stations: "Tutti Frutti," "Great Balls of Fire," "I Put a Spell on You," and many more. In this musical set to these classic hits and more, discover the contentious but undeniably impactful legacy of the man who pioneered, and integrated, rock and roll as we know it. The show plays at [New World Stages](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/new-world-stages) through September 3.

Get [*Rock & Roll Man* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/28348-rock-and-roll-man-tickets) now.

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## *Hamlet*

The Public Theater's Free Shakespeare in the Park program returns this summer with *Hamlet*, directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon and starring Tony nominee Ato Blankson-Wood in the title role. See the classic story of the title prince, tasked with avenging his father by killing his uncle, under the stars at Central Park's Delacorte Theater. All tickets to *Hamlet* are free and are distributed across a variety of in-person and digital channels.

Top theatre to see in New York in June

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Discover our top picks for Broadway shows and Off-Broadway shows to see this month, including new shows premiering and last-chance shows closing this month.

Top theatre to see in New York in June | New York Theatre Guide

Discover our top picks of New York theatre to check out in June 2023, including new, exciting Broadway and Off-Broadway shows to see all across the city.

The United States has long seen cultural divides between its North and South. However, this Broadway season, Tony-nominated shows remind audiences that the Bible Belt is not a monolith — many peoples, traditions, and politics inhabit the American South.

“There are a lot of queer people that live in the South,” said [James Ijames](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/interviews/james-ijames-shares-the-ingredients-from-his-life-that-make-up-fat-ham), whose Pulitzer Prize-winning play [*Fat Ham*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27141-fat-ham-tickets), a riff on *Hamlet* that centers Black queerness in a culture of toxic masculinity, is now nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. “There are a lot of people that are surviving down there. If I can give them a mirror of what their life is, that means a lot to me because I didn't have any mirrors.” 

*Fat Ham* is not alone in gifting a reflection: While Ijames’s show offers Southern, Black queer folks visibility on stage, [*Shucked*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26987-shucked-tickets) (up for nine Tonys including Best Musical) is also showing Midwesterners and Southerners — traveling from afar to see these shows — that they, too, can be the main characters in a story and not the butt of its jokes.

![fat ham cast-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/41lt1exAkpZ0vCWxwKODsZ/242b1de10752f6f09ac094ed51b942b4/fat_ham_cast-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

“I'm from Texas, from a rodeo background, so I know the people — my kinfolk are scattered all over that stage at the Nederlander,” said [Kevin Cahoon](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/interviews/kevin-cahoon-taps-into-his-hometown-heart-in-shucked-on-broadway), who is nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his side-splitting turn as Peanut. Cahoon may be earning laughs as Cob County's witty jack of all trades, but he also knows *Shucked* can reveal more than just corn puns and an entertaining love story.

“When I was researching the role and thinking about these country comedians that came out in the Dust Bowl of the Great Depression, like Minnie Pearl and Jerry Clower, they were speaking to rural America,” Cahoon shared. “Rural Americans were not seeing themselves in popular culture. So to see a simple, truthful, honest, heartfelt representation — I've had so many people at the line signing at the end of the night say, ‘We're from Nebraska, we're from Ohio, we're from Iowa, and we have never felt like we had been seen in a Broadway show like we are being seen in this.’ That’s special, and it's what keeps Broadway alive, right?”

Tony-nominated librettist Robert Horn has similarly witnessed the show’s gravitational pull.

“Every night, people come up to us and say, I never thought I'd see myself represented on a Broadway stage,” he shared. “I felt that way when I saw *Rent* for the first time. I was like, here I am, a gay man. I've never really seen musicals [like] that. Granted, there were some dark themes in that because of the times, but I felt seen and represented.” 

Horn, whose own in-laws are from the South, wrote *Shucked* from a knowing but loving place. He knew a way to bridge gaps would be to create a story that “never condescends,” he said. “It never looks down on these characters. It never makes them tropes — they really are characters in the community and you take that journey with them. It was really important to me not to make fun.”

He named his mother-in-law as one person who helped him find the heart of his characters and reframe one Southern stereotype, religiousness, in a positive light. "She's got this devout faith, which I don't," Horn said. "I am envious of the fact that she has something that she believes in that gets her through dark times.

"A lot of that is what inspired me... [The characters have] this belief in each other, this solidarity, this family that truly comes from their faith." 

Horn’s effort to create “a deeper message,” in which, he said, “you can't just do comedy,” parallels Ijames’s in *Fat Ham*, where a family barbecue becomes a powder keg for unearthing past traumas and a homophobic lineage. 

“Black stories are important in and of themselves, queer stories are important in and of themselves, Southern stories are important in and of themselves, and so the combination is important,” he said. 

*Shucked* also wins hearts by exploring the combination of identities. “I'm married to a Southern man whose family is Southern Baptist, very conservative, and I’m a Jew from Brooklyn,” Horn said. “But we break bread. I love my in-laws and I love my family. They’re just different. Not worse, not better. They're just different. And I wanted to connect those two worlds.”

Get *[Shucked](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26987-shucked-tickets)* tickets now.

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Get *[Fat Ham](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27141-fat-ham-tickets)* tickets now.

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*Top image credit: The Broadway cast of Shucked. (Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)*  
*In-article image credit: The Broadway cast of Fat Ham. (Photo by Joan Marcus)

Tony-nominated shows shatter stereotypes of the American South

Shucked Cast

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*Shucked*, set in a fictional rural town, and *Fat Ham*, set in the modern South, bridge cultural divides and offer an affirming portrayal of the region on Broadway.

The 2023 Drama League Awards winners were announced today in a ceremony hosted at the Ziegfeld Ballroom by Emmy Award-winning NY1 theatre reporter Frank DiLella.

The Drama League gives out seven awards each year: four to productions, two for direction, and one to a distinguished performer, an honor an actor can only win once in their lifetime. The awards recognize Broadway and Off-Broadway productions in the same categories.

This year, all seven prizes went to Broadway productions and actors. Two awards went to the revival of *Into the Woods*, while five other productions got one prize each.

Find out all the nominees and winners of this year's awards below. Winners are denoted with an asterisk.

__Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play__

- [*Leopoldstadt*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26003-leopoldstadt-tickets)*
- *the bandaged place*
- *Cost of Living*
- *Dark Disabled Stories*
- *Downstate*
- *Elyria*
- [*Fat Ham*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27141-fat-ham-tickets)
- [*Good Night, Oscar*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26390-good-night-oscar-tickets)
- [*Life of Pi*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26712-life-of-pi-tickets)
- [*Peter Pan Goes Wrong*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27336-peter-pan-goes-wrong-tickets)
- [*Prima Facie*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25983-prima-facie-tickets)
- *Public Obscenities*
- [*Summer, 1976*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25993-summer-1976-tickets)

Get [*Leopoldstadt* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26003-leopoldstadt-tickets) now.

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__Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play__

- [*A Doll’s House*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26989-a-dolls-house-tickets)*
- *Ohio State Murders*
- *Hamlet/Oresteia*
- *The Piano Lesson*
- *A Raisin in the Sun*
- [*The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26553-the-sign-in-sidney-brusteins-window-tickets)
- [*The Thanksgiving Play*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26005-the-thanksgiving-play-tickets)
- *Topdog/Underdog*
- *Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White*
- *Wolf Play*

Get [*A Doll's House* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26989-a-dolls-house-tickets) now.

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__Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical__

- [*Some Like It Hot*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24262-some-like-it-hot-tickets)*
- [*& Juliet*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25598-and-juliet-tickets)
- [*A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24254-a-beautiful-noise-tickets)
- *Dreaming Zenzile*
- [*New York, New York*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26043-new-york-new-york-tickets)
- [*Shucked*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26987-shucked-tickets)
- [*Titanique*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25241-titanique-tickets)
- *White Girl in Danger*
- *Wise Children’s Wuthering Heights*

Get [*Some Like It Hot* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24262-some-like-it-hot-tickets) now.

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__Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical__

- *Into the Woods**
- *Bob Fosse’s Dancin’*
- [*Camelot*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25210-camelot-tickets)
- *A Man of No Importance*
- [*Parade*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26500-parade)
- *1776*
- [*Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26216-sweeney-todd-on-broadway-tickets)

__Outstanding Direction of a Play__

- Anne Kauffman, [*The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26553-the-sign-in-sidney-brusteins-window-tickets)*
- Jo Bonney, *Cost of Living*
- Shayok Misha Chowdhury, *Public Obscenities*
- Kenny Leon, *Topdog/Underdog*
- Jamie Lloyd, [*A Doll’s House*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26989-a-dolls-house-tickets)
- David Mendizábal, *the bandaged place*
- Awoye Timpo, *Elyria* and *Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White*
- Dustin Wills, *Wolf Play*

Get [*The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26553-the-sign-in-sidney-brusteins-window-tickets) now.

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__Outstanding Direction of a Musical__

- Lear deBessonet, *Into the Woods**
- Lileana Blain-Cruz, *Dreaming Zenzile* and *White Girl In Danger*
- Thomas Kail, [*Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26216-sweeney-todd-on-broadway-tickets)
- Casey Nicholaw, [*Some Like It Hot*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24262-some-like-it-hot-tickets)
- Jack O’Brien, [*Shucked*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26987-shucked-tickets)
- Bartlett Sher, [*Camelot*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25210-camelot-tickets)
- Susan Stroman, [*New York, New York*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26043-new-york-new-york-tickets)

__Distinguished Performance Award__

- [Annaleigh Ashford](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/annaleigh-ashford), [*Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26216-sweeney-todd-on-broadway-tickets)*
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, *Topdog/Underdog*
- Hiran Abeysekera, [*Life of Pi*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26712-life-of-pi-tickets)
- [Sara Bareilles](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/sara-bareilles), *Into the Woods*
- Stephanie Berry, *the bandaged place*
- Brittany Bradford, *Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story In Black And White*
- Danielle Brooks, *The Piano Lesson*
- [Rachel Brosnahan](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/rachel-brosnahan), [*The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26553-the-sign-in-sidney-brusteins-window-tickets)
- Marylouise Burke, *Epiphany*
- D’Arcy Carden, [*The Thanksgiving Play*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26005-the-thanksgiving-play-tickets)
- [Jessica Chastain](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/jessica-chastain), [*A Doll’s House*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26989-a-dolls-house-tickets)
- [Sharon D Clarke](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/sharon-d-clarke), *Death of a Salesman*
- [Jodie Comer](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/jodie-comer), [*Prima Facie*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25983-prima-facie-tickets)
- Jordan E. Cooper, *Ain’t No Mo’*
- Lorna Courtney, [*& Juliet*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25598-and-juliet-tickets)
- Micaela Diamond, [*Parade*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26500-parade)
- K. Todd Freeman, *Downstate*
- J. Harrison Ghee, [*Some Like It Hot*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24262-some-like-it-hot-tickets)
- [Josh Groban](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/josh-groban), [*Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26216-sweeney-todd-on-broadway-tickets)
- Ryan J. Haddad, *Dark Disabled Stories*
- Corey Hawkins, *Topdog/Underdog*
- [Sean Hayes](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/sean-hayes), [*Good Night, Oscar*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26390-good-night-oscar-tickets)
- Stephen McKinley Henderson, *Between Riverside and Crazy*
- [Oscar Isaac](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/oscar-isaac), [*The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26553-the-sign-in-sidney-brusteins-window-tickets)
- Tarra Conner Jones, *White Girl in Danger*
- Esco Jouléy, *Wolf Play*
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Get [*Sweeney Todd* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26216-sweeney-todd-on-broadway-tickets) now.

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2023 Drama League Award winners announced

The Drama League

The annual awards honor outstanding Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, as well as one distinguished performer in a play or musical from the season.

The [novel-turned-film-turned-play](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-life-of-pi-on-broadway) [*Life of Pi*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26712-life-of-pi-tickets) comes to life on stage with the help of [lifelike puppets and immersive design](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/how-the-life-of-pi-broadway-puppets-make-animals-come-alive) elements that transport audiences from a zoo in Pondicherry, India, to the open waters of the Pacific Ocean to a Mexican hospital room.

The imaginative story follows 16-year-old Pi, the sole human survivor of a shipwreck, who must fend for himself while traversing the ocean in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger, orangutan, zebra, and hyena. Their survival journey is mind-bending and magical.

In many ways, the story’s puppetry design — and stage success — hinged on Richard Parker, the tiger. Finn Caldwell and Nick Barnes, the show’s co-puppet designers, built a prototype for an early workshop informed by research on tigers’ muscular anatomy. 

“We needed to know if it could move like a tiger — walk, jump on the edge of the boat, move around,” said Caldwell. “But the real question was, can we make the audience and the actor playing Pi actually frightened and scared?”

When the tiger prototype charged toward actor Hiran Abeysekera in rehearsal, and Abeysekera ran away in fear, the puppeteers knew they were on the right track. And while the puppet design may be the linchpin of the show’s magic, the set, costumes, and seamlessly integrated projection and lighting design are equally transportive.

The show first bowed at the Crucible Theatre in 2019 in Sheffield, England, before transferring to Wyndham’s Theatre in London’s West End in 2021. After winning five Olivier Awards, Lolita Chakrabarti’s stage adaptation made its way across the pond to Broadway in 2023, where it earned five Tony Award nominations, including for scenic design, lighting design, and costumes. 

![life of pi puppets 2-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/Z2FLwaRpICs4rAL9kQYpm/08955cd17b3a6c9dc40986c2da8502ce/life_of_pi_puppets_2-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

The Broadway transfer gave the cast and creative team the opportunity to make changes. "We were able to make some positive adjustments to the story based on the feedback from the West End," said director Max Webster, noting the first act was tightened. 

The move also gave the deisgners the opportunity to expand the design elements of the show. “It is always good to get the opportunity to work on a show for a second (or third, or fourth...) time,” said scenic and costume designer Tim Hatley. “In my experience designing for theatre and film over the past 30 years, I have never walked away from a production thinking I have managed to get it all right.”

Most importantly, the design teams needed to adjust the scope and scale of the scenic design to fit the [Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/gerald-schoenfeld-theatre) in New York, which is wider and shallower than Wyndham’s. “This has, of course, had a knock-on effect, and video and lighting have had to adapt their designs to work with the new dimensions,” Hatley said.

For his part, video designer Andrzej Goulding (co-nominated with Hatley in the scenic design category) upgraded the show’s simulations. He also worked with lighting designer Tim Lutkin to recolor some scenes for the Broadway run and blend his projections, which naturally light the set, with Lutkin's lighting of the actors. The designers also had to adjust certain visual elements to accommodate different sight lines. 

“The heart of the design is the ability to transition seamlessly from the hospital into Pi’s story, which is, for the most part, at sea,” said Hatley. The split-second transitions, which happen in full view of the audience, are integral to the narrative. “This was my challenge as the designer of the show, and I am pleased to have pulled it off.”

![life of pi puppets 4-1200x600](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/37kjOUuzH47izI5ZhIgsDi/b03d00e4f4a0fe1636261f369701c29f/life_of_pi_puppets_4-1200x600.jpg)

The puppets did not undergo a major transformation from London to New York, but the big question was whether Broadway audiences would be receptive to the animals, especially since shows involving puppetry are increasingly popular in British theatre and less mainstream in New York. 

“Audiences have all been very positive towards the production," said Hatley. "I think the staging and the puppets make it stand out as something that is very different from a regular play. Audiences on both sides of the Atlantic have gone out of their way to congratulate me on the ingenuity of the designs.”

Webster agreed. "There is something very special in this story that touches people and that somehow resonated in a similar way in both countries... I feel a surge of excitement and gratitude every time I hear that roar at the end of the show and the audience stands up!" 

Get [*Life of Pi* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26712-life-of-pi-tickets) now.

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*Photo credit: Hiran Abeysekera and Richard Parker (Fred Davis, Scarlet Wildernik, Andrew Wilson) in Life of Pi on Broadway. (Photo by Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

How ‘Life of Pi’ found its roar on Broadway

life of pi puppets-1200x600-NYTG

life of pi puppets 1-1200x600-NYTG

Life of Pi on Broadway - NYC

Life of Pi on Broadway

The Tony-nominated design team and director of the adventure play talk about how the production design, including puppetry, transformed from London to Broadway.

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