I'm back...

[skynyc]

Sorry to be absent for a piece...I have been dealing with some family issues...a classic case of APS - Aging Parent Syndrome.

Have missed NY terribly, not only the theater, and my co-workers, but being able to check in here and see what folks are up to, on this forum and several others.

I intended to do a nice write up of the upcoming spring season, but Playbill.com did a nice job for me...

 

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/145914-SPRING-2011-BROADWAY-PREVIEW-Neil-LaBute-Donna-Murphy-John-Guare-Sutton-Foster-Frank-Wildhorn-Alan-Menken-and-More

 

There are several things to look forward to here: I personally cannot wait for Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) in How To Succeed in Business without really Trying. The score is fun, the book is classic Broadway schtick and the cast is pretty strong.

 

And for even more classic Broadway, Sutton Foster is going to be in Anything Goes which could be sensational if the Roundabout puts more than $4.69 cents into the production. I hope that Reno has a troupe of twelve tapping angels. And more than an eight piece orchestra would be grand. Think of the score...Anything Goes, You're the Top, I Get a Kick Out of You, It's DeLovely, and of course Blow Gabriel Blow.... I have three pairs of tickets.

 

I am looking forward to Catch Me if You can. I received a poor quality bootleg of the Seattle out of town tryout as a Christmas present, but havent' watched it because I work in a copyright business. But I love the music of Hairspray and Marc Shaiman and can be pretty marvelous.

 

Other musicals...the South Park guys' The Book of Mormon which will certainly be an equal opportunity offender, (but will it be any good?) and Frank Wildhorne's Wonderland of which I have heard nothing. And a stage version of Priscilla which just closed in a pre-Broadway tryout in Toronto after a successful run in London.

 

Plays? There are plenty of amazing revivals to anticipate. I look forward to Importance of Being Earnest with Brian Bedford as Bracknell, which I loved when it was up in Stratford a couple summers ago. That Championship Season with Keifer Sutherland and Arcadia with Billy Crudup. Robin Williams will be in Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo which has good word of mouth, and Edie Falco in House of Blue Leaves.

 

And very excited about War Horse at Lincoln Center about a horse who is part of the British troops in WWI. The book is lovely.

 

I will probably not be seen at the Broadway bow of Neil LaBute's Fat Pig...I was offended enough when it was off- Broadway several years ago.

 

And then there's this little show called Spiderman which has been getting some press.......

 

And of course let's not forget Off-Broadway! (Here's the Playbill link.)

 

http://www.playbill.com/features/article/146283-SPRING-2011-OFF-BROADWAY-PREVIEW-Shaw-Sings-David-Auburns-New-Idea-Tony-Kushners-Latest

 

Lots of great classics, but overlooked in the article is BAM's amazing season.

Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw and Lindsey Duncan are there now in John Gabriel Borkman, a lesser known toe-tapper from Henrik Ibsen. Geoffrey Rush in Gogol's Diary of a Madman is coming soon, followed by Propellor's production of The Comedy of Errors. I cannot recommend this all-male Shakespearean troupe enough. And this show is only here for two weeks. They're also doing Macbeth with Will Keen as the Scottish King, and then Derek Jacobi is doing Lear. Brooklyn? Heck, I'd go to Montauk to see that.

 

Also, a personal plug...a pal of mine wrote a play that has just been extended at Playwright's Horizons. A Small Fire is a thought provoking drama which got a great review from Christopher Isherwood in the Times. (But it is full of Spoilers so don't read it. LOL)

 

I have my tickets to Olympia Dukakis in Milk Train and Maggie Gyllenhall in Three Sisters.

 

Please don't forget off-Broadway when seeing something to do on a cold evening. (well, if you're looking on this forum at all.) ;-D

 

Happy 2011 gentlemen!!!

[Diverdan]

Welcome back, skyny. We have missed your posts and appreciate this update. I don't get to NYC very often anymore, but I can see a trip to the Big Apple will be a must in order to see Radcliffe in how to succeed. I saw an interview with him recently, and was very impressed by his maturity as an actor, his seeming lack of a big ego as a result of the millions of dollars and endless fame, and his desire to hone his acting ability. I predict he has a great future if he can keep all of this under control.

DD

[Guest greatness]

Welcome back. I missed this post. I love your passion for theaters. Keep us posted. Hugs~~