THEATRE

Manhattan Digest’s Best of 2015 Theatre

Please excuse me for a moment while I air two gripes. I’ll be back after these messages with my round-up of 2015 theatre.

Can we all stop talking about Hamilton as though it were the only show on the boards right now? I confess that I have not seen it, although I have enjoyed listening to the original cast recording. I’m guessing that it is worthy of the accolades. I suspect that the performances are award worthy. I believe (from what I’ve been told) that the staging is innovative. I’m estimating that words like, “game-changer” and “revolutionary” are appropriate. Yet this I know for sure: 42 other shows opened on Broadway in 2015 and long running shows continue to play to packed and nearly sold-out audiences eight times a week. The coverage that Hamilton received (and continues to receive) is similar to the reporting tactics of our mainstream media outlets: A major news story breaks and each and every headline for weeks following is about that singular occurrence. Meanwhile, other global events occur and are subjected to a two sentence blurb in the news ticker-or even worse-are passed by with total disregard. So, let’s stop acting like Lin Manuel Miranda, talented though he is, is the new messiah of musical theatre. Hundreds of other performers earned their paychecks by turning out fine performances and other stories were were worthy of presentation. There is room at the table for nearly everyone, and there’s more than one entree (Hamilton) on the buffet.

Essential Voices USA’s Holiday Harmonies: Songs of Christmas

by Ryan Leeds

Simplicity is all too often confused with uninteresting or dull. Yet Buddhist wisdom teaches us that greater happiness comes with simplicity than complexity. While the Eastern religion may not be exactly aligned with Judeo-Christianity, this wisdom is well executed on the latest Sono Luminus recording, “Holiday Harmonies: Songs of Christmas.”

Theater Reviews: NYC Christmas Shows

by Ryan Leeds

There is good reason why the stage versions of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and George Balanchine’s Nutcracker have endured: They are reliable classics that warm the heart and instill a feeling that, as the song goes, “our troubles will be miles away”. Still, they are not the only shows in town which will- figuratively speaking- add some glitter to your holiday balls. Below, you’ll find a variety of options throughout the city which will aid in making your theatrical yuletide merry:

Pledging “ALLEGIANCE”: An Interview with Broadway’s Michael K. Lee & Telly Leung

by Ryan Leeds

Michael K. Lee is a big deal in Korea. The refreshingly modest recording artist is also a Broadway star. It’s a much different path for Lee, who began his college education pursuing medicine at Stanford University. After following his bliss, he made his stage debut in a touring production of Miss Saigon. Acting success followed and currently, he’s soaking up the spotlight as Frankie Suzuki, a revolutionary who opposes the United States internment of Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in the musical, Allegiance.

Hooked on Corren: An Interview with Stage & Screen Star Donald Corren

by Ryan Leeds

Donald Corren is one of the fortunate few. As a perpetually employed actor, he has graced the Broadway stage, making his 1983 debut in Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song Trilogy. He earned praise from critics who declared his leading performance as Arnold Beckoff “brilliant” and “breathtaking”, and went on to assume the role in the National tour. In 2005, he returned to the Great White Way alongside Judy Kaye in Souvenir. The intimate show about eccentric personality Florence Foster Jenkins was short lived at New York’s Lyceum theatre, but found extended life in theaters all across the country. [Read more…] about Hooked on Corren: An Interview with Stage & Screen Star Donald Corren

NJ Symphony Brings Cheer to the Masses with a Holiday Classic

by Ryan Leeds

The movie may have been Home Alone, but the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) was anything but a solitary place on Saturday evening, Dec. 5th. A well attended crowd was treated to a live orchestrated version of the John Hughes classic featuring the original composition by screen legend John Williams. The night proved to be a holiday crowd pleaser for couples and families alike. [Read more…] about NJ Symphony Brings Cheer to the Masses with a Holiday Classic

George Takei Kicks Off “Coffee With Goldstar” Series

by Ryan Leeds

Everyone’s most wonderful time of the year has arrived! No. Not Christmas necessarily. I’m referring to that sacred period between Thanksgiving and year-end, when employees all around the world are spending company time surfing the internet for holiday bargains, posting unwanted junk in the sale section of Craigslist, updating their resumes, searching for new jobs, and plotting their 2016 escape plan from current hellish workplace environments. Just me?

On Thursday, December 3^rd at 3 PM ET, you’ll want to take a break from all of your exhausting, non-work related web surfing and point your browser here. Why? Because Goldstar, the leading ticketing commerce outlet that has provided deep discounts to great events for over 6 million people is proud to announce their first “Coffee With Goldstar” series. [Read more…] about George Takei Kicks Off “Coffee With Goldstar” Series

Theater Review: Misery

by Ryan Leeds

Would someone please give Laurie Metcalf a Tony Award? Not necessarily for her current Broadway performance (more on that later), but for her gracious ability to contrast what is quite possibly one of the worst performances being delivered on Broadway in recent memory. I’m speaking of Bruce Willis, the usually charismatic personality from the Die Hard movie franchise and television’s Moonlighting. Personally, Willis has always been a benign actor. While likable enough, I honestly never put that much thought into his work (and I’m sure after this review, he won’t be thinking much of mine either). So I was unable to make a distinction on his depth as a performer, at least until I saw him in his Broadway debut. As the “star”-and I use that term incredibly loosely-of William Goldman’s stage adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery–Willis is displaying such an immense talent for non-acting that one must wonder if audiences are watching a cardboard cut-out. [Read more…] about Theater Review: Misery

Theater Review: Dada Woof, Papa Hot

by Ryan Leeds

We’ve come a long way from The Boys In the Band. This isn’t to speak poorly of Mart Crowley’s 1968 portrayal of gay life, but it was not without a heaping dose of self-loathing and shame. As gay drama progressed into the seventies and eighties, the focus centered upon the politics of HIV and AIDS- diseases that are no longer a death sentence but still play prominent roles in the lives of many. So as I watched Peter Parnell’s play Dada Woof, Papa Hot, I couldn’t help but ponder a few questions: Has the homosexual fight for equality subconsciously forced us back to expected normative behavior? Has the conversation of AIDS become obsolete? Are we really this privileged? None of this is meant as opprobrium against Parnell’s story, but is intended as more of a rhetorical dialogue . [Read more…] about Theater Review: Dada Woof, Papa Hot

An Interview with Lesli Margherita: The Queen is a Broad

by Ryan Leeds

If you happen to be Christmas shopping for Broadway star Lesli Margherita this year, here are a few helpful hints: Science fiction books rate high on her list of favorites, along with the music of megastars Celine Dion, Cher, Barbara Streisand, Bette Midler, and Janet Jackson. Hip-hop also gets her vote. When it comes to clothing, Marchesa gowns grab the eye of this self-proclaimed, “fashion whore” who also prefers to mix and match higher end apparel with simple, everyday, Forever 21 pieces. But do not even think of bringing her reggae or any music of the folk genre. “It’s too hippy-ish and it’s just not sparkly enough,” said the Olivier Award winning actress who originated the role of Mrs. Wormwood in Broadway’s Matilda. “I’m so gaudy. I’m so tacky. I’m so Italian. The more rhinestones or bling, the better,” she joked recently in a sit down interview at the Helen Hayes theater where she stars as brassy diva Mona Kent in Dames At Sea.

The inexhaustible actor prepared for her current role while she was still performing in the smash hit Matilda, located across the street in the Shubert theatre. For three weeks, she went back and forth between rehearsals and performances. “I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, but that scenario just never happens,” she said. “I knew that my last week at Matilda would be my 1000th performance and I really wanted to be there for it.” Her energy prevailed, however. As the over the top, scene stealing mother in Matilda, Margherita had kept herself in top physical shape with spin classes. Now, she is shaking her wicked legs in the tap heavy Dames At Sea in which she single-handedly opens the show with a solo song and dance number. Although her recent shows hadn’t focused on tap-dancing, the skillful triple threat- who had started tap dancing at the tender age of 4- wiped the dust from her tap shoes and quickly reacclimated to the form.

On Monday November 30^th and December 7^th, Margherita will appear in a more intimate venue as she takes to the stage at Birdland for her new solo show, Broad, which explores sultry and sassy women who have made Lesli…Lesli. With a 5 piece orchestra, she’ll be performing songs of Sophie Tucker, Jessica Rabbit, Judy Garland, and other personalities who sang banned lyrics from past decades. It’s a bit of a diversion from her usual material, All Hail the Queen, a show based a persona she adopted from childhood. “I called myself a Queen growing up,” she explained. “And when I thought about putting a solo show together, I wanted to create a character similar to Bette Midler’s Divine Miss M, so I came up with the idea of “Queen Lesli’ (also her current twitter handle). As an uber diva, things are constantly going wrong for Queen Lesli so in reality, the shtick relies more on self-deprecation than superiority. “It’s not that I think I’m better than anyone. My message is ‘rule your own kingdom. Be the king or queen of yourself and don’t let anybody rule you’. It’s a positive message.” It’s also a popular one, as Margherita’s twitter feed provided the basis for her book, Neck Punch and Carry On, available here.

“I’m glad I didn’t call myself ‘Fart Leslie’ or something like that”, she laughed. We are too, Queen. We.Are.Too.

Margherita became hooked on performing at an early age after witnessing a clumsy orphan in the stage version of Annie in San Francisco, close to her home in nearby Fremont, CA. “I saw this kid in the cast mess up some steps and I was so irritated! The next year the tour was coming through the area again, so I auditioned.” The determined youngster was told by her parents that she might be cut and they warned her not to be too upset if that happened. After hours in the audition room, she walked out, looked at her mom and said, “Well, I got it!” She soon climbed the ranks from “random girl” to playing the title role. Margherita hasn’t looked back.

Immediately after graduating from UCLA, she was cast in a television show and shortly thereafter, the stage beckoned . When Matilda was offered, she instantly made a geographic transition to the east coast. While she misses her car, the beach, and the laid back vibe of California, she admits to liking New York more than she thought. “New York has really been nice to me,” she said with a broad grin. Incidentally, that sentence has been used by absolutely no one else I’ve ever talked with, but when two Broadway shows are vying for one’s participation, it makes perfect sense.

Those who have seen Queen Lesli in either Matilda or Dames At Sea can attest to the originality, talent, and flair she brings to each role. She took home an Olivier award for cryin’ out loud! That’s british for “big freakin’ deal”, folks.

Fans will have a chance to see her in an all new light when she’ll bring those same winning qualities to Birdland on Nov. 30th and Dec. 7.

Rhinestones welcome, but not in lieu of the modest cover charge. After all, a broad’s gotta eat!

Lesli Margherita at Birdland (West 44th between 8th and 9th) , Mondays Nov. 30 and Dec. 7 at 7 PM ET. For tickets and information visit Queen Lesli’s Website

For tickets to Dames At Sea (Helen Hayes Theater West 44th between Broadway and 8th), click here or walk your bad self to the box office.

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