Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

BROADWAY
JOHN GOLDEN THEATRE
MAY 3, 2013

SYNOPSIS: Siblings Vanya and Sonia have sacrificed their own happiness to care for their elderly parents at the family’s farmhouse in Pennsylvania, while their self-absorbed sister, Masha, has enjoyed success traveling the world as an actress. One morning, their soothsaying housekeeper, Cassandra, warns Vanya and Sonia of an impending terrible event, and before long, Masha has returned home with her 29 year old boy toy named Spike. Hilarity ensues at this “family reunion”. 

COMMENTS: Since I saw Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, the play has won the Tony Award for Best Play, and I couldn’t be happier! This show had me laughing out loud for the majority of the evening- in fact, I haven’t laughed this hard at a show in a long time. This is attributable to Christopher Durang’s clever writing and the stellar acting of all six actors. 

Kristine Nielsen as Sonia stole the show with a performance that was hilarious, neurotic, and heartbreaking. She was the definition of perfection, and I so wanted her to win the Tony Award. She brought so many different layers to this character and had the audience rooting for her (despite her neuroses).  Her Maggie Smith impression was spot-on and her chemistry with David Hyde Pierce and Sigourney Weaver was perfect.  Her performance alone makes this play worth seeing. 

This was my first time seeing David Hyde Pierce on stage and he did not disappoint as Vanya, the dry and quietly sarcastic brother of Sonia and Masha. Often acting as the mediator between his two sisters and as a “voice of reason”, DHP garnered many laughs with his facial expressions alone. And no one wears a Dwarf costume better than him! His passionate and cathartic monologue was hilarious... and true! 

Sigourney Weaver was impeccable as Masha, the glamorous, self-absorbed movie star. She played a selfish and insecure actress very well. Her scenes with Billy Magnussen, who played her boy toy Spike, were hilarious. Billy Magnussen was also well-cast as Spike and he had the abs to prove it. Liesel Allen Yeager (love her name) was great as aspiring actress, Nina. Shalita Grant gave the second most hilarious performance (after Kristine Nielsen) as Cassandra, the soothsaying housekeeper. Her presence on stage always guaranteed many laughs. She was completely over the top and I loved it. 

I was also impressed by the detail of the sets. From the audience, I actually felt like I was looking at a real farmhouse, complete with grass, trees, a screened-in porch, wicker furniture, a ceiling fan, and stairs leading to the second floor. Pictures of a younger Masha adorned the walls and old board games like Monopoly and Scrabble were hidden under the table. I was actually glad that I arrived at the theatre early, just so I could take in the amazing set before the show started. 

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is the best play I have seen in a long time and I HIGHLY recommend that you check it out at the Golden Theatre on Broadway! And good news- it has been extended through August 25, 2013! 

KINKY BOOTS

AL HIRSCHFELD THEATRE
BROADWAY 
MAY 4, 2013

SYNOPSIS: The most recent Tony Award winner for Best New Musical is currently playing to sold out audiences at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Based on the 2005 movie, Kinky Boots follows a young man named Charlie, who moves away from his father’s Northampton shoe factory to the bustling city of London in order to pursue a career in marketing with his fiance, Nicola. When his father dies unexpectedly, Charlie is forced to return to his home and he must decide what to do with his father’s failing shoe factory. Enter Lola, a sassy but classy drag queen, who inspires Charlie to start a new and innovative line of men’s footwear for drag queens, AKA kinky boots, and together, they work to save his father’s factory and the jobs of its workers. 

COMMENTS: I love it when a new show comes to Broadway and initially, there’s not much buzz about it. Then (seemingly overnight), the rush lines are a block long, performances are sold out, there are no ticket discounts, and the show becomes the Broadway musical to see. 

This seems to be the case for Kinky Boots, a new musical directed by Jerry Mitchell, with a book by Harvey Fierstein, and music by Cyndi Lauper. Big names in the world of theatre. One might expect some hype, but instead, all the hype surrounded the Olivier award winning musical, Matilda. For months and months, all I heard about was Matilda, who was sure to win the Tony Award for Best New Musical. What’s a kinky boot? 

Luckily, the world soon found out what a kinky boot is. Now the winner of six Tony Awards (with 13 nominations) including Best New Musical, this production is doing quite well over at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre and I suspect it will be running for a long time. 

I think the success of Kinky Boots is largely attributed to the fact that most everyone loves a story about equality and acceptance and can appreciate its heartwarming message. The story is injected with humor and great musical numbers so that it avoids becoming too predictable or bland. Speaking of the music, the score (composed by Tony winner Cyndi Lauper- the first female to win Best Score solo) is very strong. I have since purchased the cast recording, and it’s one of those CDs that I can listen to without skipping any songs. 

After being away from Broadway for many years, Billy Porter has finally found his perfect role. As drag queen Lola, Billy Porter is wise, vulnerable, sassy, and fierce. He truly steals the show. I think the group of actors who were Tony nominated for Best Lead Actor in a musical gave some of the strongest performances of the season and I myself was having difficulty deciding who to root for. When all is said and done, Billy deserved to win. 

Not that fellow nominee Stark Sands wasn’t great in his role as Charlie. Billy Porter may have stolen the show, but Stark Sands was the glue that held the show together. He had great chemistry with the other actors on stage, especially Lauren, played by Tony award nominee Annaleigh Ashford. Annaleigh, as usual, nailed the comedic timing. She is truly one of Broadway’s “funny ladies”. I also loved the factory workers, who gave the impression of being one great big family on stage. 

I highly recommend Kinky Boots on Broadway. There’s something for everyone in this new musical. Check it out at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre! 

BEST TONY MOMENTS 2013

1.) BEST SPEECH- Billy Porter has waited so long for his perfect stage role, and watching him accept his first Tony Award was just the icing on the cake. Remember Stark, he’s keeping that Tony at his house. 

2.) BEST PRESENTER(S)- Jesse Tyler Ferguson (with Jane Krakowski) burst out with “Girl, you’re gonna have fun tonight” when he presented Cyndi Lauper with the Tony Award for Best Score. Very clever, JTF. And the audience went wild. 

3.) BEST DRESSED- Annaleigh Ashford 

4.) BEST PERFORMANCE- The Opening Number was by far the best performance of the evening with lots of laugh-out-loud-inducing lyrics. For example. 

“You could bounce a quarter off the ass of Billy Porter”. 

“Hats off to Berry Gordy, he runs Motown like a boss. He dominates Top 40 and he banged Diana Ross”. 

And to the Broadway kids, NPH sings, “Is there a Tony daycare where all of you go?... Do your parents set aside your Broadway dough”? 

“Can I have my Tom Hooper Les Mis close-up please? You see, on Broadway, we don’t need extreme close-ups to prove we’re singing live”. 

“If you win, have the time of your life, tell your manager, dad and your mom, thanks. Hi to your kids and your husband or wife, maybe just for the hell of it, Tom Hanks”. 

“Kathie Lee’s a Broadway lyricist so anything can happen”. 

In addition to the clever lyrics, Neil Patrick Harris was just phenomenal when you think about the limited rehearsal time. He didn’t stumble on a single word and he was full of energy. I see an Emmy win in NPH’s future! Bravo! 

5. “OTHER” BEST MOMENTS-

Shout-outs to Cinderella for those seamless costume “transformations”. They were just as magical on TV as they were in person! More shout-outs to Matilda for including all of their principal actors and all four Matildas in their Tony performance. And finally, one last shout-out to Jane Lynch, who can actually sing pretty well. She is definitely scaring those “Little Girls” over at the Palace Theatre! 

Tony Trivia 2013

Happy Tony Weekend, everyone!  I've listed some examples of Broadway trivia questions below. Feel free to use them at your own Tony Awards Parties!  For more tips on how to throw a Tony Awards Party, check out my blog entry from last year by clicking here. 

TONY TRIVIA

1.) What actress has played Wicked’s Elphaba in three languages? 

Willemijn Verkaik

2.) True or False. The current production of Annie is Jane Lynch’s Broadway debut. 

True. 

3.)  Motown the musical is the story of what man? 

Berry Gordy

4.) What is the name of the circus choreographer who choreographed the new revival of Pippin?

Gypsy Snider

5.) What short-lived musical was based on a documentary? (this season)

Hands on a Hardbody

6.) Which nominee for Best New Musical won an Olivier Award this past season?

Matilda

7.) This musical’s 25th anniversary celebration was in January. 

Phantom of the Opera

8.) Which long running Broadway musical will be changing theatres at the end of the year? 

Mamma Mia

9.) The actor who played the Teen Angel in the 1994 Broadway revival of Grease is now a Tony nominee for which new musical?

Kinky Boots (Billy Porter)

10.) What Bring It On actress is now playing Sherry in Rock of Ages? 

Kate Rockwell

11.) What famous talk show host was tied to the musical Scandalous?
Kathie Lee Gifford

12.) Who played Drood in the original Broadway production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood?

Betty Buckley

13.) In this show’s playbill, there is an ad that says, “you’ve seen the play, now read the book”. 

Book of Mormon

14.) Is Cinderella considered a new musical or a revival?  

Revival

15.) What shows on Broadway right now have been influenced by choreographer Bob Fosse?

Chicago and Pippin