Still

By Joseph Cervelli

In Lia Romeo's charming, funny and very heartwarming new play "Still" at the DR2 Theatre you will find yourself in the throes of the two characters Helen (Jayne Atkinson) and Mark (Tim Daly.) 

They are ex-lovers who meet at a hotel bar and discuss what has transpired during the past 30 or so years since they have seen each other. They are now in their 60's and have led rather full lives. Helen is a successful author having written several books and may be on the verge of another. Romantically, she has never married but preferred short term relationships.  At first, this does not sound like a big deal but by the time the play is near its conclusion it is. Mark is a successful lawyer though his marriage has fallen apart and he has had heart surgery. He does have two daughters and has some ideas for the future for himself. Now, wait a second before you think "how mundane."

Before I go any further (and don't want to go too far) let me stop to say that you will be enamored with both of the characters thanks to the terrifically realistic performances of Atkinson and Daly. They and the play are and completely genuine. Atkinson can easily break your heart by the second act and even the career minded Mark has moments to tenderness--one that I will get to shortly. 

They do leave the bar to go somewhere else which I won't mention. They start to speak a bit more about their lives and then  things focus more on Tim and what he wants to do with his life that is a step further than being a lawyer. This is where things goes awry for them. They speak about matters that broke them up and how that one thing in particular can come up now to ruin Tim's desire for a new career. What I especially liked is that Romeo does not focus heavily on politics. Yes, they have differences of opinions but that is only part of the story. There is so much more including the love they have for each other that has remained. 

There is one particular scene later in the play that was very moving thanks to the sensitivity that Daly brings to the moment. Helen plays the lovely "Can't Help Falling in Love" on her ukulele with a tentative smile but watch Daly very carefully. Without saying one word, he looks completely depleted most likely thinking of what life would have been if he married Helen. His face suddenly ages years and is fighting back tears. I have seen him on stage before but this one scene was memorable. And Atkinson is simply delightful throughout. She has you laughing while you are touched by her emotions. So much of this depends a great deal on the direction by Adrienne Campbell-Holt who works in conjunction with Romeo's delicate touch.  

My only regret is that this very special play came out now at the beginning of the new season so may sadly be forgotten at next year's award nominations. I hope that is not the case. The play and the two outstanding performers will linger in my mind longer than even next season. 

Photo: Joey Moro

Tickets are available at the DR2 Theatre 103 E. 15th Street. Show plays through May 23. 

Best Shows of the Second Half of the 2023-2024 Season

By Joseph Cervelli

Here are what I consider the best shows I have seen from January through April of this year. 

As in the "First Half Column" which was posted on January 2, the shows are listed in no particular order. I also included shows I felt should be listed as honorable mention.

"Doubt"

This is the third version of John Patrick Shanley's superb play that I have seen. Each was great in its own way although there was a kind of similarity in the both the original version and the film in the portrayal of the popular priest who takes a special interest in the first Black student entering a fictional parochial school in the Bronx in 1964. His less than conservative ideas of dealing with students are at odds with the very strict nun who is the head of the school. She also has suspicious feelings about his "friendship" with the twelve year old boy. Amy Ryan is terrific as the nun while Liev Schreiber plays the role differently than his predecessors. The original Brian F. O'Byrne and Philip Seymour Hoffman from the film portrayed the priest in a more genteel manner. Schreiber is rougher in demeanor so when he starts to cry (don't recall this from the past two versions) it is deeply affecting and out of character which does not mean that this the is  the best version but quite a nice variation.     

"Teeth"

While most definitely not for everyone "Teeth" based on the frightening film deals with a young woman's vagina having teeth and pity the man who decides to go too far without her permission.  The show if you go along for the ride is a wildly funny and thoughtful though it does go a bit "off the rails" near the end. The score by Michael R. Jackson ("A Strange Loop") is certainly his best. The music is catchy and the lyrics quite smart. Alyse Alan Louis gives  a memorable performance as the woman with this terrible problem or maybe not so terrible by the conclusion.    

"The Who's Tommy"

I loved the original musical "Tommy" which I saw back in 1993 about a deaf, "dumb," and blind boy who eventually becomes a pinball wizard and has a cult following. This new version is every bit as good if not even better. It feels more compact and even though directed again by Des McAnuff he seems more assured of the material and has the show moving faster. As good as Michael Cerveris was in the original he is matched by the dynamic Ali Luis Bourzgui. And please let the immensely talented choreographer Lorin Latarro finally get her dues at award time.

"The Connector"

Composer Jason Robert Brown's score again shines in this engaging tale  (book by Jonathan Marc Sherman) of two journalists in the late 1990's. One of them is definitely not what he purports to be. Moving at a steady speed thanks to  Daisy Prince's direction and Brown's score which  always fits the storyline my hope is that it will return to either off Broadway in a larger theater or even head onto Broadway.     

"Oh, Mary!"

Riotously funny, I laughed myself silly for the entire length of this show written by and starring Cole Escola as Mary Todd Lincoln who wants nothing more than to be an actress or if not that a cabaret performer. Escola is helped immensely by Conrad Ricamora who portrays a closeted Abe Lincoln. From beginning to end it is a laugh riot. It will be arriving on Broadway (I wish it well!) at the Lyceum Theater.  

 

"Dead Outlaw"

One of the most ingenious shows to arrive this past season. This true musical is  both extremely funny and very touching thanks to an unforgettable performance by Andrew Durand who was wonderful in the short lived "Shucked."  With music and lyrics by David Yazbek ("The Band's Visit" among others) and Erik Della Pena and a book by the always excellent Itamar Moses this tale about an outlaw who is killed and becomes mummified (no kidding!) you will never lose interest.   

"Suffs"

Bravo to Shaina Taub who made huge improvements in her faulty off Broadway production  which is most definitely not the same show as then. So much has changed in this story and for the better in this show about the American suffrage movement. The cast has grown more into their roles and the staging by Leigh Silverman is now exciting and touching. Both not found in the past production.  

"The Outsiders"

Based on the famous and well received novel by S. E Hinton and made into a cult film this exciting new musical tells about two rival groups--one the Greasers and the other from the "right side of the tracks" called the Socs who are the wealthy ones. What makes the show really work well besides the enticing score and great performances is the exciting direction by Danya Taymor. The staging of the rumble scene in the rain is quite simply unforgettable. 

"Patriots"

Michael Stuhlbarg is superb as Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky who helps bring Putin (an equally brilliant Will Keen) to power only to find out what this dictator is all about. What makes the show work so well is not only the top notch direction by Rupert Goold's direction but how playwright Peter Morgan slowly shows that Berezovsky is out for himself. The sets and projections make this whirlwind production definitely one to be seen. 

"Harmony"

While not perfect, this musical that Barry Manilow and book and lyricist Bruce Sussman have been working on for decades finally had a short-lived life on Broadway. It is  a beautifully told true story of the Comedian Harmonists who became famous in Germany just before WWII. As always, Chip Zien is the consummate performer who really delved into his character with deep sincerity. 

"The Mother Play"

Paula Vogel's ("How I Learned to Drive") "Mother Play A Play in Five Evictions" based on her own mother is an exceptionally moving and upsetting new work with a bravura performance by Jessica Lange. I have always admired Lange yet here she really takes the role to another level. She is ably abetted by Celia Keenan-Bolger and Jim Parsons. 

"An Enemy of the People"

While I never could get into the popular series "Succession" I may have to go back and catch it again for Jeremy Strong who in this Ibsen play gives a forceful performance as a doctor discovering the spa in a European town filled with bacteria. He wants it closed down but the townspeople refuse because tourists won't come and the town will suffer greatly. The play itself is thrillingly alive and Strong gives it that special something.

Honorable Mention

"The Apiary" was a thoughtful play about the rapid decline of the bee population and the consequences it can cause. What a few lab assistants come up with as a remedy is troubling to say the least. "The Great Gatsby" is not a great musical but a huge improvement over the Paper Mill Playhouse Production. The sets and costumes are dazzling and now as it should have been at Paper Mill, Nick Carraway becomes the central figure. I was a bit disappointed in Jeremy Jordan's performance as the elusive Gatsby. Seemed too pretentious and yet have admired him in previous shows. "Water For Elephants" has a fine second act, though the first was like attending a performance of Cirque de Soleil.  While "Jaja's African Hair Braiding"was entertaining what struck me more were indeed the hair and wig designs by Nikita Mathis and  David Zinn's colorful set design along with Dede Ayite's equally inventive costumes. While I have never seen a stage production that matches the memorable film "The Night of the Iguana" and that includes the recent one at Signature, I was taken with the actor portraying the upstanding New Englander Hannah Jelkes. While Jean Lichty is not on the level of the late Deborah Kerr, she is quite memorable. As for the rather silly "The Heart of Rock and Roll," Lorin Latarro's choreography is the best thing about it. 

PHOTOS

"Doubt"--Joan Marcus

"Teeth"--Chelcie Parry

"The Who's Tommy"--Michael Murphy/Evan Zimmerman

"The Connector"--Joan Marcus

"Oh, Mary!"--Emilio Madrid

"Dead Outlaw"--Matthew Murphy

"Suffs"--Joan Marcus

"The Outsiders"--Matthew Murphy

"Patriots"--Matthew Murphy

"Harmony"--Julieta Cervantes

"The Mother Play"--Joan Marcus

"An Enemy of the People"--Emilio Madrid

 The Who's Tommy

By Joseph Cervelli

In the middle of the explosive and mesmerizing revival of "The Who's Tommy" at the Nederlander Theater, Ali Louis Bourzgui in the title role breaks into "Sensation." A most apt song for this young performer to sing for he is quite sensational. Well, there is nothing that is less than breathtaking here. I fell in love with the original which I saw back in 1993. I could not imagine that this production could be better, but it is. There is a modern feel to it thanks to changes in the book and the direction by Des McAnuff who was at the helm of the original production. 

A huge amount of credit has to go to projection designer Peter Nigrini who creates a dizzying array of nonstop shapes in various directions that are significant because it is the way our hero envisions what is happening around him when he can no longer speak, hear or see. Adding to the projections is David Korins smartly intricate set design. 

The story takes place in Britain in which Captain Walker (Adam Jacobs) is sent to war and his pregnant wife (Alison Luff) is given the tragic news of his death. Some time passes and she and her four year old (played  by Cecilia Ann Popp at the performance I attended)  are living with her brutish lover (a perfectly menacing Nathan Lucrezio). When Captain Walker who is very much alive comes to the door there is a fight and he kills the lover. This is when Tommy is so affected by this he goes into a kind of stupor. Brought to different hospitals for treatment he has lost all three senses.  Six years pass and Tommy (played at this performance by Quinten Kusheba) has not improved. Both children are wonderful in not very easy roles. True no dialogue but their faces need to be blank and they accomplish this most admirably. With their curly haired wigs they look so much like the grown Tommy. 

Tragically, Tommy goes from being sexually abused by "Uncle" Ernie (a scary John Ambrosino) to one quack doctor to another but suddenly at a pinball arcade he becomes a genius at playing. As time goes on he has a following. To the pseudo adoring crowd he becomes a hero, savior, prophet, etc. That is until he returns to normal again. That is when they turn against him and want nothing to do with a man who can offer them nothing. 

While the Nederlander is smaller than the St. James Theater where the show originated it works better here. You feel yourself drawn more into his world and the spectacle of the brilliant lighting by Amanda Sieve is never overdone. While the sound design is loud we need to compliment sound engineer for being able to understand all the lyrics clearly. And Peter Townshend's jaw dropping score sounds as fresh as when it was first written. 

All the performances are on the top of their game. Bourgzui not only has a powerful voice but his body movements touchingly exhibit his inner feelings. Christina Sajous is the best Acid Queen I have seen. As much as I adored Tina Turner, she overplayed the role in the disastrous movie version. Here Sajous plays it in a seductively frightening manner which works perfectly. I was excited to see what the always terrific Bobby Conte ("A Bronx Tale" and "Company") could do with the role of Cousin Kevin. Let's not forget this talented young actor come award time. 

I would be truly amiss not to mention Lorin Latarro's wildly varied stunning choreography. This talented young choreography never seems to get the recognition she has deserved in previous musicals. Let's hope this is not the case here.

Thanks to all involved in this production of  "Tommy" which feels fresher and even more moving than I imagined it could be. 

PHOTOS: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

Tickets are available at the Nederlander Theater 208 West 41st Street.

 

The Notebook The Musical

By Joseph Cervelli

While I never read Nicholas Sparks' huge best seller "The Notebook," I loved every moment of the beautifully moving film of the same title. 

The musical version of the novel at the Schoenfeld Theatre which is based not on the film but on the book adapted by Bekah Brunstetter is sad to say a let down. It does not help that the score with bland music and trite lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson does nothing to enhance the storyline nor move things along.

The show begins promising enough with the Older Noah (Dorian Harewood) staying in an Extended Care Facility to be with his  (no spoiler here) wife Older Allie (a wonderful performance by Maryann Plunkett) who is suffering from Alzheimer's. He reads to her from a journal which she wrote as her disease started to take hold. Besides the serious moments in the journal about love there are also some amusing ones. Harewood is good but for some reason I did not find his performance as touching as I would have expected.  Still the last scene was very well done and he came into his own at that moment. Plunkett was outstanding in every way as Allie. Her mood swings so typical of Alzheimer's patients and the blank look one moment and then recognition of Noah was superbly and realistically rendered.

We are introduced to the Younger Noah (John Cardoza) splashing in the water (action takes place in a coastal town in the Mid-Atlantic) with the Younger Allie's (Jordan Tyson.) Both of these performers are excellent and have a great career ahead of them. They are believable and their voices are strong and lovely. Yet, too bad, they don't have a better score to sing. Lyrics like "It's sadness and it's joy; it's light and then it's dark...." are banal.   I love sentimental stories and songs but this particular score just felt much too saccharine and the music undistinguished. We also meet Allie's friend Georgie (Dorcas Leung) and Noah's friend Fin (Carson Stewart.) While both are very good somehow they feel more like fillers to the story than anything else

Ally's parents do not approve of Noah for he works at a lumber yard while Allies dad who is a successful maker of planes (Charles E. Wallace) and the same for her her mom (Andrea Burns). The mother just feels he is like any other boy wanting one thing only. Think we have heard that line before in so many other shows. 

When Noah joins the armed forces his letters to Allie are intercepted by her mom and Allie thinks he was killed while Noah just thinks she is no longer interested.  

We are now introduced to the the Middle Noah (Ryan Vasquez) and his counterpart Allie (Joy Woods). If Brunstetter had, perhaps, not kept segueing from the middle couple  back to the younger ones and vice versa we might have been more taken with the characters. It was very difficult to feel anything for their  plights with the way the book suddenly jumps from each of them back to the older couple. While middle Allie is now engaged she flies back where she spent the summer first meeting Noah and goes back to the house that Noah wanted to renovate since he was a young man. She then finds out about the missing letters. She decides to go back home but here something felt off kilter. She is boarding the plane and then the next scene she is with Noah. Then you see her again with Noah but only now with luggage. 

Even before this scene just mentioned this is where the musical becomes disjointed which is very surprising considering an accomplished director like Michael Greif is at the helm. Unless co-director Schele Williams had this in mind.  And having so many characters intertwining with each other in one ensemble scene all singing simultaneously lessens the effect of the musical and does not work dramatically. Instead, their particular relationships become too superficial. 

Both Vasquez and Woods are outstanding performers with star quality. I could easily see Vasquez in a revival of the shamefully underrated "The Bridges of Madison County" and Woods a lead in a musical written with her in mind. 

What is strange is that the Younger Noah kept speaking about how his renovations of an old neighborhood  house will be perfect for Ally and him. So, when middle Allie goes back and sees what Noah has completed you may wonder what indeed has been done. As designed by David Zinn all you see basically is just the framework of the inside of a house. Surely, something could have been done to make it look like he had spent years working on his dream home. It looks like he just moved in. 

Katie Spelman is listed as the choreographer though I found very little if any dancing. 

The cast is indeed terrific but the musical is lacking in so many departments which is truly unfortunate.

PHOTOS: Juliana Cervantes

Tickets are available at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre 236 West 45th Street.

The Apiary

By Joseph Cervelli

About the only thing I really know concerning keeping bees was from the lovely book made into an equally beautiful film, "The Secret Life of Bees." Kate Douglas's oddly fascinating "The Apiary" at The Tony Kiser Theater presented by 2nd Stage presents bees in quite a different light. It is very easy to spoil what is happening in this play so will tread lightly on that.

At the very start Cece (an excellent Nimene Wureh in several roles) who worked in the apiary is in front of the stage giving a monologue about how important it is to express to the bees you are raising what is going on in your life. Not even so much how much you love taking care of them but having them feel that they are worthy of knowing about your everyday life. When she and her family stopped doing this the bees would no longer make honey. And worse yet, they later put a curse on the family for other reasons. She does give two other monologues one concerning the effect on the world of the demise of most of the bee population and the other more elliptical. 

It is twenty two years in the future and the scientists have created a synthetic apiary where the bees live in year round spring. While we don't see Cece working and she has basically left the lab, we hear from two of the three others now working in it briefly about her life. The issue is that bees are almost non existent now. The three scientists do their best housed in the basement of a facility to keep them alive. Gwen (Taylor Schilling) is the one in charge.  Gwen is angry with the lack of respect those in the hierarchy of the lab have for the work the three are doing.  While Schilling is good, I could have done with less shouting on her part. Pilar (a delightful Carmen M. Herlihy) has a complete love for the bees and seems that this is the most important thing in her rather mundane life. Zora (a fine April Matthis) is new and has a PhD in biochemistry. She worked in a high tech lab but decided to come here being a less corporate environment. She speaks about her adoration for bees since being a child. 

For a while in this 75 minute play not much really seems to happen until the three discover a decayed body on the floor of the lab. You shortly find out who the person was as and a controversal idea comes to Zora about how to save the bees and start a rejuvenation process. Extinction will no longer form into any equation. Zora convinces Pilar about her idea and she is excited to go along with it. Without delving any further you can imagine that experiments can go awry as it so happens here. 

There is also included a dancer (very effective Stephanie Crousillat) who portrays a bee in a glass booth within the apiary. Basically her function is to represent both the healthy and unhealthy bees as they go through various transformations. It does work very well even though it might sound a bit silly or stretching things too far. Not sure if it was the idea of the playwright or the always outstanding director Kate Whoriskey. 

I have admired Whoriskey's work for a very long time. I find she concentrates a great deal on characterization (think "Clyde's" and "Sweat") blending so succinctly into the story line. Here it is a tougher job for her because so much of what happenes has to do much more with the tale being told, yet again she proves her talents.

Walt Spangler has created a perfect sterile looking setting along with Jennifer Moller's varied costumes. 

Here is a play that will certainly divide audiences. It is a cautionary tale about medicine? Have we gone too far in experimentation? Is what the scientists do for the betterment or determiment of humanity. The questions are put forth. It is up to you to make that decision. 

Photos: Joan Marcus

Tickets are available at The Tony Kiser Theater 305 West 43rd Street.

"The Connector"

By Joseph Cervelli

With a too short run (only until March 17) I urge you to head to the captivating new musical "The Connector" at MCC Theater. With a compelling book by Jonathan Marc Sherman; a superb score by Jason Robert Brown and both skillfully conceived/directed by Daisy Prince it proves to be a chillingly prophetic work. So much of what transpires mirrors greatly on what is going on in our own country. What is truth? Can we play around with facts just to get a story written? Or worse can we say whatever we want and there will be those who don't check the validity of what is being said. Is the person in this case so definitive that their comments has to be true. These ideas are explored without hitting you over the head like a sledgehammer.

"The Connector" is a fictitious well respected magazine that was inaugurated back in 1946. It is now 1996 celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. The editor Conrad O'Brien (an excellent Scott Bakula) has announced that the publication has new corporate partners. He plans on retiring in the near future after a successful run as editor. There is great hope for the magazine to expand and continue for years to come. The opening number "The Whole World Changed"  has lyrics which in their way are foreboding: "The Facts Can Be Manipulated....We Are Not the Purveyors of Facts" convincingly sung by the forthright Conrad. Those lines set the stage for what we are going to witness for the one hour forty five minutes that you will be riveted to. 

Into the scene comes the seemingly pleasant Ethan Dobson (a thrilling Ben Levi Ross) who would like a job with the publication. He meets the copy editor Robin Martinez (a perfect Hannah Cruz.) While Robin feels a kind of attraction towards Ethan in the somewhat admiring "I'm Watching You" she slowly begins to have some doubts about this humble young man who becomes more than a little too sure of himself. 

Ethan's first story deals with his meeting in the West Village with the irreverent 70's style hippie Waldo (a very enjoyable Max Crumm) who is a genius scrabble player. Karla Puno Garcia does a great job of choreographing the lively number "Success" which becomes Ethan's focus in life. Success for him supersedes everything else. 

It is at this juncture we meet Mona Bland (a fine Mylinda Hull) whose name fits her demeanor in that she is a lonely person writing letters to the magazine that are first favorable concerning Dobson's reporting and then become critical.  She becomes far more prescient than you are led to believe. 

As Ethan becomes more self assured (think Harry Bogen from "I Can Get it For You Wholesale"), fact checker Muriel (an outstanding Jessica Molaskey) becomes more and more suspicious. Near the end of the musical she sings the poignant and highly personal "Proof" which nearly stops the show.

Sherman has done a terrific job of creating so many different characters yet having us concentrate on Ethan whose lively demeanor turns seductively over confident.  Ross just devours every moment he is on stage.

Bakula plays the editor of the paper with a quiet but determined demeanor,  and it is so great to hear his strong singing voice again.

Again, Brown has proven what a versatile composer he is.  From his exceptionally moving "The Last Five Years" to the breathtakingly beautiful score to "The Bridges of Madison County" he now delves as he did in "Honeymoon in Vegas" into a slightly jazzy one. From the honestly touching  “Proof" sung to perfection by Molaskey to Ross’s ferocity in “The Voice of My Generation" he is unbeatable. And what works so well in all his scores is establishing a perfect ballast intertwining the lyrics into the book.

And as I would expect the simple but effectively sleek, stylish set design by the expert Beowulf Borrit is splendid.

Daisy Prince's resonant direction moves steadily spending enough attention with each of the various characters. 

There could be an issue for some with Bakula's character not paying closer credence to when Ethan is asked for definite proof to substantiate the stories he wants to write about. Why is Conrad so quick to accept this? Could it be the story Ethan tells is so convincing or that before the editor finally retires he wants to go out receiving laurels for the stories he has chosen to  run. 

Despite that minor caveat everything clicks in this stirring new musical and the brilliant Ross says it all in the line from "The Voice of My Generation": "I Wasn't Planning to be the Voice of My Generation." Unfortunate that he was more concerned with his own importance rather than being truthful. 

Photos: Joan Marcus

Tickets are available at the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space  511 West 52nd Street. 

 

Formidable! Aznavour Concert at Town Hall

By Joseph Cervelli

I can think of only two performers who not only had remarkable voices but more than that brought us on an emotional journey in their songs. One was the late, wondrous French singer Edith Piaf and the other the French/Armenian performer Charles Aznavour. While I never had the honor of seeing Piaf in person, her incandescent style in getting the songs across were a wonder. The same could be true of Aznavour. Having attended, at least, half a dozen or more of this late singer's performances, I was always amazed how  so many of his songs were like three act plays. He once said (not quite true, but the message was there) that he never says to an audience "thank you" for his songs are his thank you. I understood him. And you thanked him for what he gave us.

I attended the glorious tribute to Charles Aznavour called "Formidable! Aznavour" which celebrates the incomparable singer, songwriter and actor at its world premiere at Town Hall. Director/Creator Gil Marsala met with the late performer and was given permission to present such a loving tribute to him. This show will be the first in its world tour celebrating the upcoming 100th birthday of the late performer. He also approved of the singer Jules Grison to lead us through the life and times of the one and only Aznavour. 

As you enter Town Hall there is a screen with various slide projections of Aznavour through the years which is a nice reminiscent of his life. The last one has a sketch of him with the words "Forever in Our Hearts" which is also the last projection. 

Jules Grison, quite thankfully, in no way tries to replicate the voice of Aznavour. He has his own style and is just every bit as impassioned as the late singer. He is incredibly personable and has some very fancy and effective dance steps. 

He opens with the familiar "Les Comediens" which he gives a jazzy beat to along with another of Aznavour's signature songs "La Boheme" also giving it the same treatment. I did not think “Boheme”would work since never heard it that way, but it most certainly does. 

He joyfully goes into the audience to dance "The Old Fashioned Way" with an elderly woman before leaving her and bringing up a younger woman on stage. This felt a bit gimmicky.

He also sang "Jezebel" with the ardent quality it deserves. I could have done without the wood burning in a fire on the screen. The song and the singer sold the song completely. 

And his gorgeously moving "Que c-est trust Venise" about finding love in that immortal city and then never being able to turn at the end of the relationship is sung simply by his sitting on a chair. 

He so correctly points out that Aznavour wrote a number of songs that dealt with social issues. One that had to have been quite controversial since it was from 1972 is the deeply poignant "What Makes a Man a Man" about a gay performer looking for love. Grison's interpretation is every bit as deeply moving as I would have expected him to be. I was very taken with this performer's maneuvering from his lively numbers from Aznavour's repertoire to something as serious as this one. 

As Grison pointed out Aznavour wrote about 1200 songs so not easy to choose the ones for the concert though he certainly did most of the familiar ones interspersed with one or two less familiar to me. 

About halfway through the show he did a duet with the wonderful Melissa Ericco who made a brief guest appearance. 

Grison concludes at the piano (the four other excellent musicians have left the stage) with "She." During the rendition the light fades on him and you hear Aznavour's voice. That duet was beautifully executed. 

This is a lovely tribute to the one and only Charles Aznavour. If there was one minor quibble it would be that I wished Grison had told more about the late singer's life and career. Even briefly would have helped. But that in no way negates the pleasure of his the evening. 

I wish him well on his world tour.

Now, I must scold the terribly rude audience which was one of the worst I have encountered. Many were coming in late, texting, taking photos or videos. And people going back and forth from their seats to possibly the restrooms. I understand when nature calls, but to leave about 10 minutes into the show and worse yet, return to their seat when he was singing is unacceptable. Why not wait until he finished the song. I must but partial blame on the staff who were no where to be found during this except escorting those latecomers to their seats. This was an affront to both Mssr. Grison and his musicians.

PHOTOS: First two Marta Pich/Third and Fourth Eric Carriere

Best Shows of the First Half of the 2023-2024 Season

By Joseph Cervelli

Here are what I consider the best shows I have seen from May till December of this year. 

So, here in no particular order, are those I felt were the finest. I also have included shows I felt were of honorable mention for various reasons.

"Appropriate"

Hard to imagine the 2 hours and 45 minutes of this superbly engrossing play by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins flew by with such rapidity. I never saw it off Broadway but have read how far superior this production is. First and foremost, the cast is absolutely mesmerizing especially with Sarah Paulson at the helm. A family drama in which they arrive at a decaying home of the recent death of the patriarch of the family to liquidate the sale of the estate. What ensues between them is startling. You are not quite sure whether to laugh or gasp which certainly will occur. An amazing play that never lets up in its tension despite its length thanks also to the knockout direction by Lila Neugebauer. 

"I Can Get it For You Wholesale"

I never saw the short lived original Broadway musical which claim to fame was having Barbra Streisand in it singing the hilarious "Miss Marmelstein" earning her a Tony nomination. I don't know if Trip Cullman's fast moving direction made this revival work so well but it certainly does. Santino Fontana is excellent as the despicable businessman in the garment area in the 1930's. I have listened to the score periodically and this cast really does it proud. Besides Fontana, Judy Kuhn deserves consideration at awards time.  

"Dracula--A Comedy of Terrors"

"Comedy" is the key word here. This hilarious ode to the classic horror story is wonderfully acted by a very talented cast. You have a hunky leading man (a delightful James Daly) and a gender bending standout performance by Arnie Burton who will have you howling with just a slight nod of his head. The rest of the cast all performs admirably and are game for this kind of inspired lunacy.     

"Spamalot"

I loved the original production from eighteen years ago and enjoyed this new revival possibly even more. Sillier (yep, you heard that right) than even the original the cast seems to be relishing in every loony moment. If you missed the original production by all means rush to this one. And even if you saw it back then, this laugh fest deserves another go.

"Stereophonic"

Yes, the show is long. But my theory is it is deliberately so to give you the idea of how grueling it is to go through a recording session. It deals with  a 1976 rock band who is trying to make it big. The successes and failures along the road with the tensions that arise among all of the characters are all detailed. Engagingly acted throughout. It is scheduled to arrive on Broadway in the spring. 

"Swing State"

A gripping and palpitating new play by Rebecca Gilman had me on the edge of my seat attention from the very first scene when a middle aged woman is in her kitchen contemplating suicide. Mary Beth Fisher gives a mesmerizing performance as a widow in rural Wisconsin who years ago along with her deceased husband took in a troubled young man (a superb Bubba Weiler). Amazing how a missing toolbox leads to complications that will have you in a near sweat wondering what is going to occur when you have that aching feeling you already have a strong feeling you do. Beautifully directed by the always reliable Robert Falls. 

"Small"

A terrific one man show written and performed by a rousing Robert Montano about his desire to become a jockey. His height and frame are great for the profession until he ages and becomes taller and heavier than the desired requirement. He also talks about becoming a dancer and starring in "West Side Story" as Bernardo. He takes the role of various characters in his life and is quite outstanding. 

"Purlie Victorious--A Non Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch"

While I honestly wished they have brought back the musical "Purlie," the next best thing was bringing back Ossie Davis's play which the musical was based upon. Leslie Odom Jr. gives a standout performance as a preacher who earlier in his life was beaten by a plantation owner. His goal deals with a bit of conniving to obtain a church he wants for himself to use for his sermons. This will be hopefully accomplished by using a young woman (a wonderful Kara Young) posing as his cousin.  As fine as Young was in "Cost of Living" and "Clyde's" she is even more memorable here. 

"The Shark is Broken"

A rollicking hoot of a play based on one part of the classic film "Jaws" in which the three dynamic actors Alex Brightman (portraying Richard Dreyfuss); Ian Shaw as his father Robert Shaw; and Colin Donnell who portrays Roy Scheider bicker and break into hilarious arguments as they wait for that 'damn' shark to be fixed so they can finish the film. The three actors are magnificent, especially a wildly funny Brightman capturing every characteristic of Dreyfuss. 

"The Saviour"

The opening scene of the arresting and moving play is one that is unforgettable. An elderly Irish woman (brilliantly played by Marie Mullen)   is smoking in bed reminiscing about the sexual evening she had with a younger man. These moments of euphoria dissipate as her son (an equally wonderful Jamie O'Neill) informs her of what her "lover" is really all about. 

"Primary Trust"

A beautifully written and unforgettably acted play starring William Jackson Harper deals with loneliness and how Kenneth (Harper) is  trapped into a fantasy friendship with an imaginary friend. Little by little we see how Kenneth starts to change for the better with the help of those around him who are caring. An originally written play by Eboni Booth at every turn of the way, this was one that I will remember for a long time coming.  

"Here Lies Love"

I saw this musical about Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos of the Philippines at the Public about a decade ago and loved every stunning moment. You stood (there were a few chairs) and moved around with the actors on movable stages. It moved to Broadway where this time I sat and still thought it was a wild romp with a spectacular set design by David Orins and lighting by Justin Townsend. A shame it never caught on. 

Honorable Mention

In "Make Me Gorgeous" Wade McCollum gave a bravura performance as gay icon and trans Kenneth Marlowe way ahead of his times. While the play was a bit overlong (two drag numbers would have been sufficient) it still was a well written play. Imagine growing up gay in Iowa in 1926.

 "How to Dance in Ohio" boasts a very gifted cast of autistic young adults who shine when on stage. The musical loosely based on the excellent documentary is a fine show marred by too much attention paid to the doctor who works with them in group sessions. The issue is the personal situations within the doctor's life overshadow the storyline about the young people wanting to learn to have a dance.

"Buena Vista Social Club" boasts a vibrant cast with rousing music and dancing. The book is good but nothing memorable. Also, I found it strange that the young  Omara (a perfect Kenya Browne) is vibrant and personable while her older self is played in a too austere manner by Natalie Venetia Belcon. 

Patrick Page excels in "All the Devils are Here" a one person show with various monologues portraying Shakespeare's villains. Unless you know these particular characters roles in the playwright's plays, I am afraid you might find yourself confused. 

Tim Hatley's incredible set design--oh, that car!--make "Back the the Future" so much fun. Casey Likes is excellent as the young man while Roger Bart was slightly disappointing giving just a good but not noteworthy one as the professor. 

While both Kelli O'Hara and Brian d'Arcy James are magnificent in "Days of Wine and Roses" and the book by Craig Lucas is faithful for the most part to the film, the score by Adam Guettel was very dissonant and almost jarring sounding. It will be coming to Broadway in the spring. 

While not a perfect musical, the Indie-Rock Musical "Lizard Boy" about a young man whose skin turns green after a strange childhood accident was lots of fun with a tuneful score by Justin Huertas who was responsible for the book. 

While I had some issues with James T. Lane's one man show "Triple Threat" he does give a towering and exhaustive performance as an actor, singer and dancer.

 John Rubenstein excelled as President Dwight D. Eisenhower in "Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground." While the material can, at times, may not have been as impressive as Rubenstein it still was worthwhile for his performance. 

"Rock and Roll Man" about the life of Alan Freed who was the first disc jockey who promoted rock and roll music on the air sunk into hard times with his conviction for tax evasion.While the book was well written and the original 50's songs incomparable, I was less impressed by Constantine Maroulis's adequate performance. Still it was fun thanks to the music and a standout performance by Rodrick Covington as Little Richard. He could not have been better. 

Yes, "King James" does refer to the great LeBron James and the touching friendship between two guys where insensitivity in one's comment about race breaks it up. It was well written but the heavy influence on basketball could have lost a lot of viewers unless you are a real fan. Yet, both Glenn Davis and Chris Perfetti were superb. 

PHOTO CREDITS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE

1--Joan Marcus

2--Julieta Cervantes

3--Matthew Murphy

4--Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

5--Chelcie Parry

6--Liz Lauren

7--Dorice Arden Mondronero

8--Marc J. Franklin

9--Matthew Murphy

10--Carol Rosegg

11--Joan Marcus

12--Billy Bustamente, Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman