Category: Updates

Fifth in a series

NEW YORK – “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club” is a rarity. The latest reincarnation of the John Kander, Fred Ebb and Joe Masteroff musical, looks like a circus and indeed plays like one, preceded by a pre-show party of drinks, songs and dancing.

And Eddie Redmayne, as the fabled emcee, occasionally is dressed like a clown (with a cute party cap) but sort of engaged in the role of a circus ringmaster doubling as a nightclub barker. This is a visually stunning Olivier-winning production, staged in the round at the August Wilson Theatre. Redmayne has committed to a six-month run through Sept. 24, 2024, so if you are inclined to take in this show, book a flight. Oh, he doesn’t perform Monday nights.

You’ll find Redmayne fascinating, beginning with the keynote drumroll, part of the customary “Willkommen” welcome. You know, everything is beautiful inside; leave your troubles outside.

The show is staged in the round, meaning audiences see slightly different perspectives, depending on where you’re seated. I opted for the orchestra seats, one of two locales available on the set-up, and two balcony zones are above orchestra.

The in-the-round format embraces a revolving circular performance platter, with a central circular sector which enables Redmayne and his cast to enter from the depths or escape in the two-tier hatch resembling an over-sized birthday cake.

This circular exit-entrance is one of five demanding passageways. Imagine a capital X; all actors utilize each point of the alphabet, often with an occasional leap, so there’s lurking possible danger, even for the up-front viewers. But the crew seems confident and ready for the logistic challenges. Why not? Director Rebecca Fracknall earned a Best Director Olivier trophy for her vision.

Redmayne undoubtedly is the most outrageous Emcee to date, ranging from a welcoming host to a raucous, slightly manic challenger threat of Hitler.

Vocally, he carries his weight and is robust and ravishing, in all his solos, including “Welcome to Berlin,” “Maybe This Time,” and “Tomorrow Belongs to Me,” delivering power and stamina. He’s priceless, when he’s supported by the Kit Kats on “Money,” oozing charisma. And he’s literally the host of the Kit Kat Club and also the audience at the August Wilson.

But he is not the lone star in this galaxy; Gayle Rankin as the love-seeking chanteuse Sally Bowles, is a scintillating match, reflecting passion and hope. “Maybe This Time” is her show-stopper.

The plot features a gay American author, Clifford Bradshaw (Ato Blankson-Hood, excellent), who is in Berlin in search of inspiration for his novel. He meets Sally on the first night and they become coo some twosome, and both are broke and eager for company, so she quietly moves into his rental.

The author’s landlady is Fraulein Schneider (Bebe Neuwirth, oozing kindness and empathy), who has a warm relationship with a Jewish renter,  Herr Schulz (Steven Skybell, a beau and a gentleman).  They have the kind of chemistry that wins Tony Awards.

Arriving in the midst of  New York’s Pride Month celebration, “Cabaret” boasts an ensemble of singers and dancers of assertive sizes, shapes and races, and perhaps a trans, too – difficult to know because of the glorious and risqué costumes, bathed in lively, exotic and mood-setting lights and sound, with non-stop, dynamic choreography by Julia Cheng, all in synch with music directed by Jennifer White…

And that’s Show Biz…

Fourth of a series

NEW YORK – Kevin McCollum, the prolific producer of Broadway shows, has two hits on the board currently. And planning two more productions.

“The Notebook” at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre is McCollum’s newest.  It’s attracting sold-out crowds, and I enjoyed the show, based on the rom-com novel. Its production values are stunning: handsome sets with multi-levels, creating elements of a home, a hospital and a river.  And this is one of two shows with pouring rain in Act 2.  Impressive!

Several years ago, McCollum launched “Six,” at the Lena Horne Theatre. Finally caught up with this one on my current trip. Its six-member, all-women cast boasts powerful voices, delivering a myriad of material but focusing on thumping and danceable disco vibes.

But McCollum has a pair of new productions, details of which have not been announced:

“The Devil Wears Prada” and “Night at the Museum,” based on hit movies. Presume these will be musicals, since that’s been his gold mine, if his past triumphs are a barometer. He earned Tonys for “Rent,” “Avenue Q” and “In the Heights.”

His other credits are “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Something Rotten,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” and “Motown: The Musical.” Off-Broadway, he also produced “The Play That Goes Wrong,” which won an Olivier award.

Pretty darn good, for our local boy…

Local lads

Couldn’t set up an interview with Ezekiel Kekuna, the Kaneohe lad doing the Young Simba role in Disney’s “The Lion King” at the Minskoff Theatre, and since a conversation was not possible, didn’t secure tickets to see the show…

And pardon moi: Forgot that Zare Anguay, another Kaneohe dude, is a swing performer in the ensemble of Disney’s “Aladdin,” still running at the New Amsterdam Theatre.

Both Kekuna and Anguay had much of their theatrical training as members of The I’m a Bright Kids Foundation…

And a contingent of the Bright family – Ronald Bright’s widow, Mo Bright, and daughter Jodi and the Lee Stein ohana– are back home in Kaneohe, following a Broadway show visit. Of course, they took in the two aforementioned shows to reconnect with the actors, including Zeke’s mom, Sarahlea Gamiao Kekuna, who has been a Broadway mom, meeting constant islanders who’ve come to New York, in support of Zeke, who will part of the Pridelands, till August. Way to go! …

Plane coincidence

When boarding our Hawaiian Air flight in Honolulu, heading to the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, we ran into sometimes island resident/visitor Mary Gutzi, who also was heading to The Big Apple.

Most recently, she has been starring in an Asian Korea tour of “Sister Act” in South Korea. Next destination: Japan.

We tried to set up a meeting in New York but couldn’t find a mutually convenient time. Guess a reunion might happen in Honolulu…

And that’s Show Biz…

Third in a series

NEW YORK – Ben Platt’s concert – which is the opening attraction at the renovated Palace Theatre through June 15 – clearly demonstrates that the world includes lovers and haters. OK, perhaps the in-betweeners, too.

Platt, the Tony-winning singer-actor on Broadway, is attracting his diehard fans—in the thousands – to his “Ben Platt Live at The Palace.”  The venue is the fabled theater, in the heart of Times Square, where earlier starring tenants included Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli, two of his idols.

The lovers adored the show – that’s what lovers do – and Platt’s 18-show run, brief residency is not the  traditional Broadway fare. It felt like a CD-launch party, for his new “Honeymind” album —casual, chit-chatty, like a fan party. I found it all astoundingly honest.

It was charming to witness Platt interviewing himself, revealing he came out when he was 12, but his gayness was timely: Broadway is celebrating Pride Month in June, with all Playbills at all shows redressed to display the rainbow hues in the masthead.

 The haters, including  unofficial online reviewers, share the flip side of the coin.

“Three weeks of a yet-to-achieve-actual-stardom performer is an odd way to open the gloriously renovated Palace,” said one online reviewer-turned critic. “Ben Platt sang his little heart out, but it all seemed like a sham, an actor pretending to be a superstar when he’s actually a (not untalented) Broadway middleweight. He plugs his new album eight or was it twenty times? Really?“

For a 30-year-old, Platt’s career has not yet reached the superstar level, but he’s certainly earned his stripes, and he reflects on his past conquests, like the movie “Pitch Perfect” and the Broadway musical “Dear Evan Hansen,” which earned him a Tony Award. ‘Nuff said.

Every night, he’s featuring a different guest artist: Kelli O’Hara was the featured singer, doing “Both Sides Now” with Platt, at the performance I attended, and previous artists have included Kacey Musgraves and  Kristin Chenoweth.

Platt comes off as an earnest vocalist, with a bundle of songs unfamiliar to me, but when he calls for a sing-along, many lovers of his craft immediately chimed in, the lyrics pouring out with gentle passion.

Watching/hearing Platt is somewhat of a peculiarity. He chats a lot but does have things to say – not mere babbling. He names his partner and talks about a planned wedding; he sips a lot of water, from bottles placed at several spots on stage. He has his own brand of choreographics, a style that is repetitive, and more like disco-dancing. And he’s funny; a comedian resides in his soul.

He has two back-up singers, a woman and a man, and a mid-sized orchestra that provides vibrant support. In other words, he’s not merely a singer-actor Broadway musicals; he composed most of his treasured titles.

His Palace residency, thus, is yet another notch on his show biz agenda; you’re on your way to new levels, if you can assemble 18 guest artists, sell merch ranging from concert posters to T-shirts; and hold the attention of your cherished lovers.

As a Tony winner, he strangely bypasses his “Dear Evan Hansen” hit song and delivers instead a secondary tune. Bad move: share what your listeners know.

He shares songs linked to his idols; but the tributes should come in the same moment for continuity – Minnelli’s “Maybe This Time” from “Cabaret” was spotlighted well before Garland’s “Over the Ranbow” from “Wizard of Oz” just prior to his finale.

As for the refurbished Palace: I love the feel and look of the venue, with orchestra and balcony considerations. But the seats line up in tightly spaced rows, when instead a modern house should be an improvement of the past; your knees touch the seats in front of you, like coach in an airplane, and you can’t cross your legs. So yesterday.

The old theater’s entrance was on Broadway; the new one faces W 47^th St. understandable because of the constant heavy foot traffic on the avenue. The new theater doesn’t boast a formal “lobby,” but has sectors that clearly want to eliminate a bottleneck, with patrons either ascending an escalator, or heading into an elevator. But guides hustle you in the right direction to properly get you to your seats.

I was in orchestra but had to go “up” to my seats, and the elevator was modernistic, programmed to get you a level or two up to your destination, and down afterwards to ground level. Efficiency, for sure.

And that’s Show Biz…

Second in a series

NEW YORK – You’d never guess what the first musical I saw on Broadway during my first trip to New York in 1974.

It was the original Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Nnight Music,” in 1973, precise date unknown. It played at the Shubert Theatre, and was that season’s hot ticket – which means getting tickets were not easy.

My wife Vi and I booked a room at the quaint Algonquin Theatre, on W. 45^th St., the same street that the Shubert was located. So we dropped off our luggage and headed to the box office, seeking matinee tickets.

Back in the ‘70s, you could have ordered tickets via a phone call and a credit card and snail mail was not appropriate, because you’d have to seek specific seats and it too long to keep the seats tied up. Remember, there was no internet nor the iPhone to order electronically.

If you had a friend or relative, he or she could go to the box office and secure seats, with your permission.

Or you could show up yourself at the box office in person, which is what I did.

I was meek and uncertain, since this was my first effort in securing Broadway tickets. And this show had been a major sellout.

Bu if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

The box office attendee declared that officially, “A Little Night Music” was sold out. But the woman behind the cage said there were two seats left, with partial visibility. What’s that? Simply, seats that could not afford complete view of certain scenes because of pillars that would, for brief moments, shield visible scenes for a moment or two,.

Of course, I bought the tickets – sorry, I don’t remember what admission was back then.

What I do recall is that I was such a country jack, when I was seated. I looked up, left, right, rear … just to soak in the glory of being inside a legit Broadway venue. I couldn’t see the balcony seats, because the tickets I got were beneath the balcony, in the second to the last row in orchestra.

Well, “A Little  Night Music” earned 12 Tony nominations and won six including Best Musical, and formally introduced me to the Great White Way luminaries, like composer Sondheim, songs he wrote like “Send in the Clowns,” book writer Hugh Wheeler, director Hal Prince, and such actors like Best Actress in a Musical winner Glynis Johns and Best Featured Actress in a Musical Patricia Elliott.

So much education, from one show!

Over the decades, the Schubert has been home to such hits as “Hello, Dolly!” with Bette Midler, “A Chorus Line,” “Spamalot,” “Matilda the Musical”  and  “Memphis.”

Worth noting: For all its gloried past, the Shubert does not have ADA compliance when it comes to providing restrooms for handicapped guests. On site, all bathrooms have steps to encounter.

Worth remembering: Handicapped viewers at the Shubert can use the facilities in a Sardi’s restaurant building across the street from the theater. To the right of Sardi’s restaurant, enter the adjoining building and use the escalator to the fourth floor. There, there’s a bank of toilets open to all, not just the handicapped. There’s no frenzy and crush of the usual intermission break. This secret was shared by Joy Abbott, the widow of famed Broadway writer-producer George Abbott…

And that’s Show Biz…

First of a series

NEW YORK – New York 2024 is like any other year – the sights, the sounds, the scents are very familiar and welcoming. Every time I visit, it’s a happy reunion, filled with anticipation of good times.

Times Square, in the heart of the Theatre District, is my hub, my home, my hideaway. It’s plain fun to sit (there’s a bunch of seats and tables) and soak in the atmosphere. It’s teeming  with a life of its own.

I like it all.

To me, Times Square is a circus of cabbies, buses, vehicles, and an occasional  speeding motorcycle, accompanied by never-ending foot traffic, parading and pedaling in never-ending movement. Visitors check out the discounted Broadway shows at the TKTS booth. Hawkers sell cheap T-shirts. Vendors prepare boiled hot dogs in buns, with the strange odor of gas fumes mixed with snacks creating a moveable feast.

Look up and around, and neon marquees of Broadway shows – like the durable and delightful ”The Lion King” — competing  for attention with oversized ads of fashion and ticker tape of news headlines dancing in electric billboards.

Yep, the undisputed hot ticket remains “The Lion King,” posting $2-million-dollar grosses week after week at the Minskoff Theatre. Can you feel the loot tonight?

The current buzz is that Alicia Keyes “Hell’s Kitchen,” featuring her music (she’s not in the show), is a leading contender for the Tony Awards later this month. The show focuses on that  NY region where creative life surges among the young and the eager.

A few theaters possess star-power this summer. Eddie Redmayne, who won an Olivier Award in London for his portrayal of the Emcee in “Cabaret,” stars in this revival, which now boasts a longer title: “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club.” The production also is hosting a first, a 75-minute pre-show party with songs, dances and expansive liquors to launch a party before the 8 p.m. curtain at the August Wilson Theatre. And over at the Hudson Theatre, Daniel Radcliff (“Harry Potter”) and Jonathan Gross (“Hamilton”) have been extended in Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along” so many times, but the show finally rolls to a close in July.

If you remember the Palace Theatre, it just reopened with “Ben Platt at the Palace Theatre” as the premiere act, in a limited 18-performance running through June 15. The Palace, which has a storied past (with the likes of Harry Belafonte, Bette Midler, Judy Garland, Diana Ross, Shirley MacLaine and Elvis Presley gracing the stage over the decades), is nestled below a new hotel, Tempo by Hilton, a curiosity that has spacious rooms but no closets (there are pegs to hang your clothes), no restaurants but a grab-and-go snack bar, and spectacular views depending on where your room is situated, at $300 to $600 a night. I wanted to give this hotel a whirl, but my wife said no, but we’ll be comfortable ensconced at nearby Hotel Edison, on W. 47^th St., offering easy access to all Broadway theaters

Just as I did last year, I’ve rented a power wheelchair to the mix of my walker and my cane. Navigating New York’s challenging sidewalks and roadways will require caution and effort.

Wheelchairs require special attention; crossing streets mean you have to be certain you’re at a corner, where pathways include that dip to the road; never jaywalk where curbs lack that tilt for the chair. I’ve checked with all of the theaters I’ll be heading to, and most have accessible seats for the handicapped, and the venues provide help to remove and store chairs or walkers till intermission and/or exit time. So it’s possible to go show-hopping, if you have the inclination and funds. Pssst: tickets are slightly expensive at a few productions, but prices are not like the years when Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton”  and  Hugh Jackman in “The Music Man” were the rage, spiraling ticket costs.

For a week, I’ll take in a bunch of shows, navigating Times Square and its challenges: crowds, uneven roads, theaters with some ADA considerations. For those who don’t know, I became walker-worthy after I was hospitalized for two weeks in Queen’s last summer. Didn’t realize that being horizontal for two weeks would make your legs go on vacation, impacting mobility, or lack thereof, when walking.

On a trip, like my current one, the wheelchair is an option for distant outings, but after last year’s attempt to board a city bus (ever tried parking a chair, while the rest of the bus patrons watch?), I will only use the chair for sidewalks and streets. If you can handle a chair, go for it; no license required, just patience and guts to tool around the city (with limitations). Let your confidence decide whether you can handle the wheelchair, or if you’re fearful, the walker is a good buddy; you just will take longer to get to your destination.

Oh, there’s always a cab or an Uber or Lyft…and walkers can board, too.

Trust me; the worst thing to do on a trip is to remain secluded in your hotel because of fear. If I can do it, you can too, whatever your environment or destination. Be cautious but be mobile.

And that’s Show Biz…