Manhattan Digest

All you need to know about Manhattan culture and so much more...

Christopher Caz

New York Pops’ ‘Find Your Dream: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein’ Review

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The New York Pops kicked off a sparkling 2020 Carnegie Hall night with a reprise of its program Find Your Dream: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein, an evening featuring the notable music of the famous songwriting team. During the short period of their collaboration from 1943 to 1959, the duo’s ground-breaking shows and film versions garnered thirty-four Tony Awards, fifteen Academy Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, and two Grammy Awards (information courtesy of Wikipedia). [Read more…] about New York Pops’ ‘Find Your Dream: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein’ Review

A Look Inside ‘In the Closet’ at Theatre Row’s Studio Theatre

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In the Closet, a dramedy by Siegmund Fuchs, introduces us to four gay men of varying ages who have entered into a shared limbo, a limbo which takes the form of a metaphorical closet. In this closet there’s enough space for four people to walk around, a table and chairs, two doors, food, and coffee that comes straight from a dresser drawer without requiring a coffee maker. In this safe haven these men find the soothing memories of a grandmother’s back scratches and warm-baked kolaches, the smell of lilac, and the company of each other. [Read more…] about A Look Inside ‘In the Closet’ at Theatre Row’s Studio Theatre

‘Enter Laughing: The Musical’ is Side-Splitting Soft-Corn Musical Theater at its Finest

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So there was this 1958 semi-autobiographical book called “Enter Laughing”, written by funny man Carl Reiner. The book got turned into a 1963 play written by Joseph Stein, then turned into a 1967 movie, with both Reiner and Stein on screenplay. Later, the play inspired a 1976 Broadway musical entitled So Long, 174th Street, which played a dismal 16 performances. It seems incredible that a recording of the show was made in 1981. [Read more…] about ‘Enter Laughing: The Musical’ is Side-Splitting Soft-Corn Musical Theater at its Finest

‘Mary, Mary’ Tries Hard but Misses The Mark

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Mary, Mary, written in 1961 by Jean Kerr (husband of renowned theater critic Walter Kerr) has enjoys periodic restaging over the years, including this most recent run at the intimate lower Manhattan Gene Frankel Theatre. [Read more…] about ‘Mary, Mary’ Tries Hard but Misses The Mark

Broken Box Mime Theater’s ‘Skin’ is Fresh and Fun

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There are many varieties of entertainment without the benefit of verbal expression; art, orchestral music, dance, puppetry are just some examples where the audience must rely solely on visual and aural input to determine meaning. The same is true of mime and pantomime (using the terms interchangeably although there are scholarly distinctions which really aren’t worth introducing here). [Read more…] about Broken Box Mime Theater’s ‘Skin’ is Fresh and Fun

York Theatre Company’s ‘Christmas in Hell’ is Devilishly Fun

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New musical comedy Christmas In Hell opens with a full-cast lament about fruitcake, and it’s a bite of the deadly stuff, decades old, that causes eight-year-old Davin to start behaving badly, pretty much because he missed Christmas when he was down in Hell being claimed by the Devil (don’t ask–it’s too complicated to explain but it’s reasonably funny to watch unfold). [Read more…] about York Theatre Company’s ‘Christmas in Hell’ is Devilishly Fun

See Westside Theatre’s DANIEL’S HUSBAND Before it Closes

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When I saw Daniel’s Husband, I knew nothing of the story in advance, and I believe this fact added to my enjoyment of it. I’m going to detail the story line below, so if you’re inclined to see this play the way I did, by all means avoid the plot spoilers below and go see it with my encouragement. There’s not much time left! [Read more…] about See Westside Theatre’s DANIEL’S HUSBAND Before it Closes

York Theatre Company’s ‘Midnight At The Never Get’ is Not to be Missed

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First staged at Don’t Tell Mama, Midnight at the Never Get has found an an ideal home on St. Peter’s stage, where it unfolds like an intimate cabaret show but is in fact a theater piece with an engaging plot. Midnight skillfully weaves the best of both genres into a delightful and heartfelt 90-minute experience of story and song. [Read more…] about York Theatre Company’s ‘Midnight At The Never Get’ is Not to be Missed