foxy

Saw Little Shop of Horrors yesterday’s Sunday matinee. Great show, great cast highly recommended even if you’ve seen other productions. Special applause must go to the 3 urchins, Ari Groover, Salome Smith and Joy Woods who kept the energy so high. I was in the second row center and Jonathan Groff sure is a spitter. He just missed me at times. But if you’re going to get spit on, well, he’s my guy.

Written by Harold Pinter in 1978 this new production with terrific performances by Tom Hiddleston, Zawe Ashton and Charlie Cox moves back and forth in time making great use of it’s stark set. Jerry has had a seven year affair with his best friend Robert’s wife Emma. What I found most poignant was not just the words they were speaking but the silences which said so much more.

I have to give Renee credit for her singing because her acting was convincing me she was better than she was.

Regarding Marlene Dietrich. I recently returned from 10 days in Berlin. The deutcsche-kinemathek.de The Museum of Film and Television is highly recommended and has a large collection of Dietrich’s costumes, props, personal letters, recordings and films. Even the saw she used to play. Who knew she played the saw? I watched Shanghai Express while there and really enjoyed it. She seems to have slept with almost everyone famous.

I have only recently listened to the music of Akhnaten and the choral music reminded me of Carmina Burana. To my ear orgiastic. I’m not sophisticated when it comes to opera. But I love when many people are singing at once. I’ve come to enjoy the sound of counter tenors. The duet between Akhnaten and Nefertiti I found stunning. Also the juggling looks incredible from what I’ve seen on video. I’m really excited about seeing this opera.

To be honest I go more for the visuals but having listened to the score of Akhnaten I felt I just had to experience the whole thing live. I imagine I’ll be crawling out of the opera house totally drained.

The price of opera tickets often takes my breath away. When I think I could buy a round trip plane ticket from NY to LA for less it makes me shake my head in wonder. But I really want to see the Philip Glass opera Akhnaten. So after much tapping away on the website I’ve settled for row B center in the balcony for $160. I’m seeing the matinee December 7. I would have liked to be closer but the seats available for twice that were way to the side. I really like being close to center. From videos I’ve seen the production looks pretty breathtaking. I’ll bring binoculars. Happily next week I’ll be in Berlin so I’ll get to see the Nefertiti bust at the Neues Museum. April in NY should be nice.

I did see Sunday in the Park with Jake. I had a second row Orchestra seat so was very close to the stage (and Jake). I’ve seen previous productions of the show but I thought this was the best I’d seen. Jake sings very well indeed. Months later after the show closed I got to meet him at a private screening of the movie Stronger. I told him how impressed I was with his performance. In fact I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

The last few nights I binged watched the last season. I’ve always thought this an incredibly well done show. When you like something you often hate to see it end. But everything ends and sometimes a series goes longer than it should. So hoping for a satisfying ending to a series is a tricky thing for writers to negotiate. GOT comes to mind of course. I think OTB got it right and I did like seeing some of the actors from past seasons taking a bow and saying goodbye.

I saw the original production in 1982 at the Orpheum Theater and loved the show. Ellen Greene was so wonderful. I saw a revival in 2003 with Hunter Foster. At that performance they were taking donations for Broadway Cares. For a $20 donation I had my photo taken with Foster which I’m pleased to say I still have. I’m sorry I missed the Encores production with Ellen Greene and Jake Gyllenhaal. In 2017 I saw Once on This Island. As the lights were going down two men came into my aisle and sat next to me. One was Jonathan Groff. As they squeezed by me I made a joke about “tourists” showing up late for a show. Groff responded about being “bridge & tunnel”. He was very enthusiastic during the show. As we were exiting the theater I was walking next to him. I rarely engage famous people thinking they deserve their privacy. But I had just finished binge watching Mindhunter and I told him how much I liked it and was looking forward to a second season. He was very charming and we had a short conversation. In the lobby a few people went up to speak to him and he was very approachable. He’s such a talented guy and really handsome in person. I have my ticket for this new production. I’m sure it will be good.

Saw the play yesterday and I liked it very much. It is about sad events but it raises some thoughtful questions. A Life performed by Gyllenhaal actually is very funny half the time. Both actors engage with the audience in a good way. After the performance there was a discussion with the actors led by one of the producers. Audience members could ask questions and the actors talked about what led them to the play and why they wanted to perform it. It added a lot to the experience.

Last nights performance was truly magical. The singers and orchestra were of course terrific and the music, well, it’s Mozart. Can’t really go wrong there. But the interaction of the performers and the animation was quite incredible. It was a roller coaster ride of pure fun from beginning to end. I’m hoping this production will be constantly revived as it’s something I’d want to see over and over again. Certainly the best show I’ve seen all year.

I don't go to a lot of operas but this one seemed too good to pass up. Seeing it Friday night. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/18/.../review-mozart-magic-flute-lincoln-center.html

A friend who lives in London saw this a while ago and thought it brilliant. I went to the box office the other day but it wasn’t open so had to get tickets through the website. I hate those extra fees they tag on but bit the bullet. I’m seeing it November 13, row C in the orchestra. Tickets were $195 each and I’m seeing both parts in one day. If a play is really good I don’t mind sitting that long. Now that I’ve paid full price I’m wondering if discount tickets will be available? We shall see. Wondering if Vanessa Redgrave is coming with the rest of the cast. She can be pretty astounding.

Having seen the original production of Mack & Mabel it will be fun to see it again.

Jake is on his way to the Hudson Theater July 26-September 29. I have my ticket in the orchestra pretty close to the stage on July 31. And there’s this other guy, Tom something lol.

Usually with musical comedies I smile. With Tootsie I laughed. A terrific show.

Last night I binge watched the first 4 episodes of Fosse/Verdon. It’s very, very good. Michelle Williams is a total reincarnation of Gwen Verdon. And thanks to Benjamin’s recommendation I just ordered the book Fosse which is already a page turner.

Funnily enough, after reading this review I’m tempted to see the show again. It’s so peculiar. I don’t think it will last long but I don’t think we’ve seen the last of it. I think it could get cult status.

Hopefully tickets will be easier to come by. In this case I don’t really care about the play. I just like looking at Jake. Those eyes!!

Laurie Metcalf is always interesting to watch on stage and Lithgow as Clinton was quite good. But I found the play pretty light and instead of an ending it just stopped. For me I wanted more and left the theater feeling hungry.

A friend of mine recently returned from London saw this play and she raved about how brilliant she thought it was. Here's hoping it will transfer to Broadway. https://variety.com/2018/legit/reviews/the-inheritance-review-play-1202739184/ ‘The Inheritance’ Review: Stephen Daldry Directs Matthew Lopez’s Play – Variety “The Inheritance" is a vast, imperfect and unweildy masterpiece that unpicks queer politics and neoliberal economics anew. variety.com https://www.yesbroadway.com/content/theinheritance http://static1.squarespace.com/static/58322a2d579fb38c571815d3/59e4c405b1ffb682d1027b08/5af9ac6a8a922d061762d01e/1528724129135/Samuel+H.+Levine+and+Andrew+Burnap+in+The+Inheritance+at+the+Young+Vic+%C2%A9Simon+Annand%283%29.jpg?format=1000w London: The Inheritance — YesBroadway Photos: Simon Annand. It clocks in at just over 6.5 hours, but the play (especially Part 1) rarely feels as long as that thanks to a fantastic mix of comedy and drama — you’re basically dared not to bawl at the end of the first part. www.yesbroadway.com

For some reason I keep thinking of “Springtime for Hitler” from The Producers.

I’ll be curious to see how the critics react to this show and especially to those buying tickets. Probably not a family friendly show lol. I have to admit I liked the dancing soldiers with the big erections going up and down.

Saw the show today and really liked it. Recommended.