The Mountaintop

The Mountaintop tells the story of the last day of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life. While it is a fictional version, it is still very moving. 

I have to admit that I went into the show a Samuel L. Jackson fan, and while I was impressed with his ability to morph into Dr. King, I was most impressed with Angela Basset's powerful performance as Camae, a maid in the Lorraine Motel. Katori Hall addresses and deals with the imperfections that made Dr. King human, and showed his strength and vulnarabilities all at the same time. While I felt that the ending became more preachy than was necessary, I also left the show awed by Jackson and Basset's performance, and pondering the tragedy of a life cut too short. 

Other Desert Cities

Of all of the shows I have seen this year, Other Desert Cities has been one of the best. When Brooke Wyeth (Rachel Griffiths) returns home to Palm Springs to spend the holidays with her parents (Stockard Channing and Stacy Keach) she agonizes over how and when to tell them her next book is coming out, and address the family secret it focuses on. Her brother (Thomas Sadoski) and Aunt Silda (Judith Light) are there to celebrate and watch the drama unfold. The play written by Jon Robin Baitz captures the struggles between parents and children, old Reagan hollywood, and the essence of Palm Springs perfectly. While Griffiths, Keach and Sadoski all do a phenomenal job, it is Channing and Light that steal the show with their comedic timing and fabulous one liners. This is a show you absolutely have to see if you want to laugh, cry, and feel just a little bit better about your own disfunctional family. 

The Book of Mormon

I have been out of town so I will be catching you up on all of the wonderfu shows I had to see this summer over the next week. The first one, and major Tony Award Winner was The Book of Mormon.

When I heard that The Book of Mormon was nominated for several Tony Awards, including Best Musical, I wanted to see for myself if the guys from South Park really could compete with the best of broadway. Somehow I just didn't believe that it could possibly be worthy of all of the praise the show was receiving...but I will be the first to admit I was wrong.

Not only will The Book of Mormon provide you with countless laughs, and too many "did they really just do that?" moments. The show is filled with technically skilled actors, singers, and dancers as well, so in addition to laughing at the politically incorrect humor you also have the chance to marvel at the incredible talent on stage. Josh Gad (Elder Cunningham), and Andrew Rannells (Elder Price) were terrific in their comedic ability, as well as their surprisingly powerful voices and stage presence. Nikki M. James (Nabulungi) who won a Tony Award for her performance is also worthy of praise for her amazing singing chops, but the performer who stole the show was Rory O'Malley (Elder McKinley), who was also nominated for his performance. O'Malley has the most unbelievable comedic talent, and he can make you laugh until the point of tears while he's singing and tap dancing. I have seen very few people who can manage do keep you entertained in so many different ways, all at the same time.

So what's my verdict? Go see this show. It's absolutely a must do, not only because you will laugh until you cry, but because the songs will stay with you for weeks to come, and whenever you think about it, you won't be able to keep yourself from cracking a smile (It's been months since I have seen the show and I still do).

Sister Act

If you are expecting the fabulous motown hits and continuous humor of Sister Act the film, rent the movie, and stay away from the play.

The first thirty minutes of this show dragged on, the crowd was bored and antsy, and it seemd like a crude and uneventful evening was in store for everyone. But eventually the plot, acting, and music began to pick up, thanks to Marla Mindelle and Chester Gregory II, and I have to say it ended with a bang.  However, I went in anticipating more Whoopi Goldberg pizazz and humor...and left very dissapointed.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

The past few weeks have been so busy that I haven't had a chance to write a review of How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. I really wanted to make sure I conveyed what an absolutely wonderful experience it was, and felt I really needed to sit down and write about it once I had the time. 

First let me begin by saying I have never seen the Harry Potter movies, so my only exposure to Daniel Radcliffe was in his role in Equus on Broadway. While I was impressed with Equus, I was absolutely blown away by the talent he showed in How To Succeed...not only is he a phenomenal actor, but his singing and dancing abilities make him an incredible all around showman. It is the only show I have ever been to where there was a standing ovation before the final act, and that was largely because of Radcliffe's abilities to entertain and wow the audience. Although he doesn't deserve all of the credit becuse he was helped by having John Larroquette, Rose Hemingway, Tammy Blanchard, Christopher J. Hanke, and Rob Bartlett supporting him along the way. The entire cast played their roles to a tee, and together they were one of the bests casts I have seen in a musical on broadway in a long time. I was beyond impressed, and whether or not you love Harry Potter, broadway shows, or musicals, this is absolutely worth seeing and one of the best ways to spend an evening in New York City.

Brooke Shields Headed to Broadway Again

According to the Hollywood Reporter Brooke Shields is set to replace Bebe Neuwirth in The Addams Family on Brodway. Once she joins the cast I will have to check it out to see if the show has changed.

That Championship Season

Last week I went with family and friends to see a showing of "That Championship Season". It was very entertaining, and had a star filled cast, but drug on a bit too long. The show, about a group of men coming together with their former basketball coach to relive their high school basketball glory days, starts out promising. However, the humor gets lost as cheap sex and racist jokes continued for far too long. Keifer Sutherland and Brian Cox showed tremendous talent onstage, but Jim Gaffigan, Christopher Noth and Jason Patric just seemed like they were trying a bit too hard. There were beautiful moments of humor, substance and chemistry, but they were a bit too few and far between.