Harriet Harris was nursing a sick parrot on an unseasonably warm fall day. “I think no one should have parrots!” she joked from her New York City apartment during a recent phone conversation. “We have a little space heater on in here and it’s horrifying!” [Read more…] about Harriet Harris: Tony Award Winner and Parrot Mom
NYFOS explores Rodgers, Rodgers & Guettel
On Tuesday and Thursday November 1st and 3rd, New Yorkers will be treated to an eclectic and unique musical program as New York Festival of Song (NYFOS) presents the music of Richard Rodgers (Oklahoma, The Sound of Music, South Pacific ) his daughter Mary Rodgers (Once Upon a Mattress), and his grandson Adam Guettel (Floyd Collins, The Light in the Piazza). [Read more…] about NYFOS explores Rodgers, Rodgers & Guettel
Theater Review: Keen Company’s “tick…tick…BOOM!”
Stories of struggling New York City musicians are as old as art itself but rarely are they interesting to anyone else but the artist telling their own stories. Cabaret stories abound that involve scrubbing pots and pans or working lousy temp jobs until the dream finally came true. This is not to demean or criticize, but it’s hard to weave an engaging, heartfelt and thoroughly entertaining narrative without interpreting it as a self-prescribed cathartic therapy session-unless you’re Jonathan Larson. [Read more…] about Theater Review: Keen Company’s “tick…tick…BOOM!”
Theater Review: Mary Louise Parker in “Heisenberg”
Heisenberg, the extremely human play rooted in a theory of Quantum Physics, is a mystery within itself. This is not to suggest that text is incoherent, but rather that its leading characters are so Delphic we walk away with even more questions than we did before we met them. [Read more…] about Theater Review: Mary Louise Parker in “Heisenberg”
Theater Review: “Inner Voices” Worth Listening To
Some people know a good thing when they see it. Still others have the means to share it with a broader audience. Thankfully, Paulette Haupt, after being inspired by a PBS theater broadcast, had the wisdom to create an opportunity for an intimate, unique, and thoroughly satisfying art form. [Read more…] about Theater Review: “Inner Voices” Worth Listening To
“Oh Hello On Broadway”: Kvetching is the New Black
“Charmed, I’m sure”, says Gil Faizon (Nick Kroll) after nearly every introduction. It’s hard not to be. Faizon, along with his best friend and roommate of 40 years, George St. Geegland (John Mulaney) are the epitome of old school New Yorkers who have seen it all, know it all, and are telling it all at Broadway’s Lyceum Theater in Oh,Hello On Broadway. [Read more…] about “Oh Hello On Broadway”: Kvetching is the New Black
Kyle Riabko: This Guy’s In Love With Burt
On a recent trip to San Francisco, I was walking in the Castro neighborhood and saw two signs in the window of a residence. They both were designed with the same look as a political advertisement, but none of the usual candidates’s names appeared. Instead, one said, “I’m with Bacharach” and below it, another that read, “I’m backing Bacharach.” [Read more…] about Kyle Riabko: This Guy’s In Love With Burt
Hershey Felder’s “Maestro” at 59E59
In the last twenty years, Hershey Felder has played over 4,500 performances of various towering figures of music. He has played George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Ludwig Von Beethoven, Franz Liszt, and Frederic Chopin. Basically, if you need to evoke a famous composer, call Felder. I have long been familiar with his work, but have not had the opportunity to see him perform-until now. [Read more…] about Hershey Felder’s “Maestro” at 59E59
Theater Review: Leslye Headland’s Noir Drama, “The Layover”
It seems fitting to write a review of Leslye Headland’s modern noir drama, The Layover after having just returned from Europe and enduring two lengthy layovers during my travels. [Read more…] about Theater Review: Leslye Headland’s Noir Drama, “The Layover”
Out With the Old, In With the New: Broadway’s Fall Season
After a two week vacation from New York, it was thrilling to stroll through midtown yesterday morning, looking at the new marquees adorning Broadway. Every theater is like a Christmas gift- will the creative Gods bring us diamonds or will we end up with lousy, bargain bin socks? Time will tell, but I suspect that next year’s Tony’s season will be majorly competitive. [Read more…] about Out With the Old, In With the New: Broadway’s Fall Season