“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something Latino…”
By Cris Franco
If you’re thinking of a New York City Broadway vacay – well, stop thinking and book your flight. For this year’s vibrant theater season brings us new works, revivals, adaptations and even something Cuban-American for all to enjoy. Here’s just a short list of a few of the finer productions currently packing New York’s historic theaters.
Tony Nominees are indicated by an *
ON YOUR FEET!
On Your Feet! is the magnificent new bio-musical that inventively chronicles the remarkable life (and love) story behind superstars Gloria and Emilio Estefan. Tracing young Gloria’s flight from Castro’s Cuba to meeting Emilio and together creating their signature “Miami sound,” On Your Feet! is a thrilling blend of song, drama and dance (choreography by Sergio Trujillo*). Taking its cue from Broadway’s recent biographical hits (Jersey Boys, Beautiful and Motown) the story pulls no punches as it boldly recounts the agony and ecstasy of the couple’s hard-fought rise to the top of the American billboard charts. Underscored with their infectious song book, including: Anything for You, Rhythm is Gonna Get You, Turn the Beat Around, Conga and more – the result is an inspiring, heart-pounding musical that’s alive with an immigrant tale like no other. Triple-threats Ana Villafañe and Josh Segarra are both mesmerizing as “Gloria” and “Emilio” and lead a first-rate cast, including: Fabi Aguirre, Karmine Alers, Yassmin Alers, David Baida, Angelica Beliard, Andrea Burns, Natalie Caruncho, Alma Cuevo, Henry Gainza, Linedy Genao, Carlos E. Gonzalez, Eduardo Hernández, Nina Lafarga, José-Luis Lopez, Omar Lopez-Cepero, Hector Maisonet, Julio Monge, Doreen Montalvo, Genny Lis Padilla, Eliseo Román, Julius Anthony Rubio, Luis Salgado, Brett Sturgis, Martín Solá, Alexandria Suarez, Shani Talmor, Kevin Tellez, Eric Ulloa, Tanairi Sade Vazquez and Lee Zarrett. Brilliantly designed with thrilling orchestrations by the Estefans, On Your Feet! is a great new musical that has audiences jumping to their feet in nightly ovations. http://onyourfeetmusical.com
DISASTER!
Borrowing the plot of every campy 1970’s disaster flick (Poiseidon Adventure, Earthquake, Towering Inferno with bits of Jaws, Ben and Piranha thrown in) Disaster! answers the question, “What would happen if blaring music from a floating casino and discothèque caused an an underwater earthquake, precipitating a tidal wave to capsize said ocean liner, then setting it afire — leaving a group of disparate survivors to find a way out while battling attacking sharks, piranhas and rats?” That lengthy question is speedily answered with hilarious results in this new musical comedy-tragedy. Disaster! stars Broadway’s top comedic actors broadly paying homage to stock disaster movie characters like “Tony” (Roger Bart) the deceitful casino owner who’s lied about the boat’s seaworthiness, the mega-religious nun with a gambling addiction (Jennifer Simard*) and, of course, the loving elderly couple (Kevin Chamberlin and Faith Prince) on one final vacation before one of them will succumb to a mysterious illness. They’re all screamingly funny. But the cherry on this satiric sundae are the many 70’s pop hits sung throughout their ordeal. Yes, the disasters keep coming to the tune of I Am Woman, Feelings, Muskrat Love and many, many more kitsch classics. If all this sounds like too much silly fun – it is. And thank goodness, for in a drama-driven theatrical season where most of the comedy has been excised from the “musical comedy” – Disaster! delivers the welcome laughs by the shipload. All aboard! http://www.disastermusical.com
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
Fiddler On The Roof is back on Broadway and in rare form. Darker and deeper than past Broadway stagings (most recently in 2004 starring Alfred Molina) this all new production tells the familiar story of the Russian-Jewish milkman, Tevye (Danny Burnstein*) who sees his three eldest daughters married, each moving further from traditional ways. The iconic songs (If I Were A Rich Man, Matchmaker, Sunrise, Sunset, etc.) are all there, but delivered with fresh urgency. Sparsely designed and truthfully acted, the magic behind this production lies with director, Bartlett Sher, who breathes new life into this Fiddler by framing it as the backstory to Tevye and Golda’s immigration to America. Key among Sher’s adjustments are all new dances by choreographer Hofesh Shechter* whose infusion of a raw tribal energy in To Life! and The Wedding/Bottle Dance, evokes both the pain and the hope of the townsfolk of Anatevka, which, in this production, is populated by many hispanos, including the very talented singer/dancer/actors Brandt Martinez, Stephen Carrasco and Jacob Guzman. (¡Mazel tov, amigos!) Although this profoundly inspiring production is the same tale we’ve heard since our youth, this Fiddler is playing a new tune for a new generation. http://fiddlermusical.com
AMERICAN PSYCHO
Photo: Jeremy Daniel
It’s Manhattan in the self-absorbed 1980’s and handsome Patrick Bateman (Benjamin Walker) has it all: youth, looks, money and status. But his perfect exterior hides a tragic flaw — Patrick likes to kill people. And so he does. Frequently. On-stage – to the dynamic songs of the virtuoso composer, Duncan Sheik, who last thrilled us with his inventive compositions for Spring Awakening*. And just as Bateman has it all, so does his musical. American Psycho possesses a dazzling stylish set (Es Devlin & Finn Ross*), an adrenaline-charged techno score, electrifying moving projections (Justin Townsend*), crazy good choreography – and a sexy, young, talented cast that often appears semi-nude and wet. Every moment is pulsating with carnal desire. And hovering around all this sensuality is the enigmatic Bateman – played with razor-sharp perfection by Drama League Award nominee Benjamin Walker. Who, shirtless (and covered in blood for most of the final scenes) seduces his male and female victims to their slaughter like a Sweeney Todd with six-pack abs. If this sounds kinda sick – it is. Sick as in “good.” Because this startling story is deftly told by Nicaraguan-American playwright, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, whose covert dialogue and tight scene structure leads us to comprehend that a homicidal genius’s mind is – well, incomprehensible. Good trick. A killer show. Don’t miss it. Or else! http://americanpsychothemusical.com
AN AMERICAN IN PARIS
An American in Paris is unquestionably the most beautiful creation currently running on Broadway. Based on the 1951 Academy Award winning Gene Kelly/Leslie Caron movie, this dazzling stage adaption builds on the film’s strengths (with its touching post-WWII story, music by the legendary George Gershwin and its superb choreography), and then turns everything up a notch. The story is stronger, opening with a moving ballet to Concerto in F taking us from the dark days of the Nazi occupation to the jubilant liberation of Paris. Superbly interpreted by our lead characters, American G.I. “Jerry Mulligan” (the commanding Garen Scribner), and ingénue “Lise Dassin” (the sublime Leanne Cope) this new opening gives the couple the necessary shared history on which to build their relationship. Along with the film’s rollicking I Got Rhythm, S’Wonderful, and I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise the play’s added no less than nine Gershwin standards including They Can’t Take That Away From Me, Liza and the plaintive, But Not for Me. Various ballets and dances (including ensemble member Jeffrey C. Sousa) have been seamlessly incorporated into the storytelling, all framed by glorious moving projections that resemble an artist’s sketchbook capturing mid-century Parisienne life. These elements meld together seamlessly to give this show an unsurpassed visual fluidity. Do not miss An American in Paris. http://www.anamericaninparisbroadway.com
HAMILTON
Hamilton, having already won the Grammy, Pulitzer, Drama Desk and (almost assuredly) a Tony Award for Best Musical (out of sixteen nominations), could soon end up being the most celebrated musical in history. And deservedly so. Hamilton distinguishes itself at all levels: the dynamic book, music and lyrics (Lin-Manuel Miranda*) are blended so tightly it catapults the action forward at a breakneck speed leaving the viewer reeling with wonder and delight. The simple but effective multi-turntable-set moves the historical characters and ornate set pieces on-and-off stage with a lyrical ease that compliments the grace and style of the luxurious period costumes. The state-of-the-art lighting stealthily takes us from the intimacy of Hamilton’s bedroom to General Washington’s bloody battlegrounds to the quiet pastoral field where Hamilton meets his death at the hands of Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.*). It’s beauty-upon- beauty-upon-beauty. But Hamilton’s greatest miracle is in allowing people-of-color – young and old – to see themselves uniquely portrayed. When the multi-racial cast delivers the story of our nation’s hard-fought birth imbued as it is with the youthful rhythms of hip-hop and rap, well, that alone makes Hamilton an award-worthy revolution unto itself. Featuring Latino cast members Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Javier Muñoz, Anthony Ramos, David Guzman, Karla Puño Garcia and Ricardo A. Zayas – Hamilton is a show for the ages. http://www.hamiltonbroadway.com
SHEAR MADNESS
Shear Madness is more than just the longest running U.S. comedy (having been playing in Boston since 1980), it’s also a fast-paced combo: a farce, a mystery and an improv show all rolled into one laugh-a-minute “whodunit?” The action takes place at the Shear Madness Unisex Beauty Salon where the openly fabulous “Tony” and his ditzy assistant “Barbara” are attending to a regular client, the prim and proper “Mrs. Shubert,” plus a new client, “Eddie.” And all is beauty business as usual until a noise from upstairs throws the action into a flurry of entrances, exits, slamming doors, whispered phone-calls, shouted threats, pounding on pipes and more. The high-energy hijinks come to a screeching halt when undercover detective “Nick O’Brien” (played perfectly by the dashing and daffy Patrick Noonan) announces that the upstairs neighbor has just been murdered and that someone in the salon has to have committed it! That’s when the play turns (literally) as Nick turns to the audience asking them to assist him in solving the crime. What ensues is a brilliantly crafted work of audience participation plus scripted and improvised dialogue as Nick calls upon the theatergoers to use their observational skills and deductive reasoning to help him recreate the play’s previous action, spot the clues and even directly question the suspects. While the first half’s antics are inspired lunacy, the ad-libbed second half is truly ingenious as it makes every ending totally unique. It’s this inventive funny format that makes Shear Madness a high-concept, LOL, “shear” delight! http://shearmadness.com
THE WOODSMAN
The Woodsman is the bitter-sweet backstory to the Tin Woodsman of the famous Oz books. Written, co-directed, designed and starring James Ortiz, it’s a haunting tale of the Woodsman, the girl he loves, and the jealous witch determined to end the couple’s union. Aside from a brief prologue spoken by Mr. Ortiz as the leading character of “Nick Chopper” the fable unfolds non-verbally through ingenious puppetry, joyous and mysterious choral sounds, on-stage music and mime. Sounds esoteric – but it’s not. The extraordinary puppetry and moving tale of how love is born, tested, grows and never really dies is clear and completely relevant in our time where affection and attraction are often misconstrued. True love’s healing powers and the resilience of the human heart are explored in Ortiz’s unspoken poem to our flawed, yet perfect, humanness. Pivotal to this original drama is a life-size Tin Woodman puppet (cleverly designed by Mr. Ortiz) which is assembled piece by piece before our eyes. He inhabits a magical forest (set also designed by the multi-talented Mr. Ortiz) where the actor/puppeteers make this heartbreaking myth come alive. The Woodsman is a spectacular and emotionally-moving masterwork that heralds Mr. Ortiz as an important new force in American theater. http://thewoodsmanplay.com
(* 2016 Tony Award nominee.)
Cris Franco is a theater lover. He is also a playwright who recently premiered his play Chevy 57 at the Los Angeles Theater Center in Los Angeles. He has combined his bilingual-bicultural Mexican-born roots with a desire to entertain and educate by creating engaging, humorous television that enlightens the viewer to the unique "American-Latino" experience. For his outstanding work on PBS, Mr. Franco has received 3 Los Angeles Emmy Awards, 2 Southern California Golden Mike Awards, The Imagen Award and The Nosotros Golden Eagle Award.
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