April Broadway trip, part one (Don't Miss Today's Weekly Blast!)
"Parade," "White Girl in Danger," and more
Shalom!
The Broadway Maven’s classes are on hiatus.
• This Weekly Blast includes:
A) an ESSAY about the first part of my April Broadway trip;
B) a YouTube GEM of an unusual performance of “Ladies Who Lunch” from Company;
C) a SURVEY about Broadway’s best choreographers;
D) a Broadway Maven YouTube GEM about the classic “Soliloquy” from Carousel;
E) PETER FILICHIA on Guys and Dolls; and
F) a LAST BLAST about A Chorus Line, CATS, and Phantom of the Opera.
NOTE: Peter Filichia’s Broadway is a new feature of the Weekly Blast. These brief show-specific videos will be available on YouTube for subscribers only (except the first issue of the month, of course).
NOTE: This is part one of a two-part report on my April trip to Broadway. In the next issue, I’ll discuss Sweeney Todd and Camelot.
On my recent trip to New York, I saw five shows. Here I’ll mention three of them. In the next issue, I’ll share my thoughts about Sweeney Todd and Camelot.
The current production of Parade starring Ben Platt as Leo Frank is terrific. (I feel a special connection to the show given my pride in The Broadway Maven’s provcative interview with book writer Alfred Uhry when he visited our class.) Some highlights of the revival show include a passionate rendition of the signature number “This is Not Over Yet”; Micaela Diamond’s shining portrayal of Lucille, one half of what’s truly a love story; and the Leo Frank character remaining on stage “in jail” during intermission.
Unfortunately, I’m unable to give a full report on The Thanksgiving Play, because it hasn’t opened and it’s customary to hold press reviews until after opening night. Expect a full write-up in the April 27 issue of the Weekly Blast. (Hint: it’s awesome.)
I also had the pleasure of attending the off-Broadway opening night of Michael R. Jackson’s new musical White Girl in Danger. (Broadway Maven music educator Mateo Chavez Lewis was able to join me.)
White Girl in Danger is Jackson’s sophomore effort, the first (A Strange Loop) having won both the Pulitzer Prize and the Best Musical Tony. So expectations were high. While this production is not going to win the Pulitzer, it’s still a funny and thought-provoking satire of soap operas from the perspective of the African-American characters “in the Blackground.”
Some of the jokes were tacky, poking fun of what it treated as “white people problems” like domestic violence and eating disorders. But despite being long — too long — the pace is quick and the music (especially the title number) is engaging.
And the after-party, wow!
We caught sight of several celebrities: Graham Norton was there; I got to chat with TV star Sarah Steele; and Mateo and I had a lengthy conversation with Tony nominee Amber Gray (Hadestown). It was fun sharing fresh reactions to the just-opened show with other attendees, and watching people constantly check their phones to see if The New York Times liked the show (it did).
Mateo and I each got to talk briefly with the show’s creator. Mr. Jackson is familiar with The Broadway Maven because he’s accepted an invitation to speak to the class (stay tuned on that).
But the best part of the first half of my April trip? I was at the Drama Book Shop buying Seth Rudetsky’s Musical Theatre for Dummies, and when the salesman saw the name on my credit card, he asked if I write a Broadway newsletter. He’s a subscriber!
LAST BLAST: The most recent three Broadway longest-running shows all have plots that relate to auditions and casting. A Chorus Line, of course, is about dancers hoping to be chosen. But CATS is also about an audition of sorts — who will go to the Heavyside Layer. And even The Phantom of the Opera relates to casting, regarding who will play the Countess and who will play the silent page-boy role.
The Broadway Maven, David Benkof, helps students further their appreciation of musical theater through his classes, his YouTube Channel, and his Weekly Blast. Contact him at DavidBenkof@gmail.com.