By Cris Franco
The female empowerment movement is boldly represented in all three of my 2018 “Shows To See in NYC.” Featuring empowering female narratives, The Great White way is decidedly pink this season, raising the curtain on musicals focused on an intrepid trio who each overcame the challenges of their class, race and gender in an inspiring fashion. Let’s take a look at girl-power Broadway style!
Summer: The Donna Summer Musical is an inventive approach to the now familiar bio-musical. Faced with the challenge of portraying the intricate evolution of one of pop’s most unorthodox talents, summer’s clever director, Des McAnuff, took a risk by employing three actors to inhabit the undisputed queen of disco through three distinct phases of her personal and professional evolution. The strategy has paid off and the result is a dynamic trio who all co-narrate the journey. They take us from Donna’s complex childhood (sexual abuse mixed with prodigious sparks of musical greatness), to her rise as the defining vocalist of an era, to her final years as a self-defined living icon who willingly set-aside her lucrative career to raise her two children. Playing the roles are Storm Lever (Duckling Donna), 2018 Tony nominee Ariana Debose (Disco Donna), and 2018 Tony nominee La Chanze (Diva Donna). The result is fascinating musical theater, which delivers all the expected hits (I Feel Love, MacArthur Park, Enough is Enough, On the Radio, Bad Girls, She Works Hard for the Money, Hot Stuff, Last Dance) all wrapped in an unconventional story of an artist who would not allow race to limit or define her genre. Instead, Miss Summers created a genre: disco. Another wise creative choice (which McAnuff perfected in his long-running hit, Jersey Boys) was not awkwardly cramming hit tunes into the drama. Instead, Summer’s musical moments are often delivered presentationally, allowing for the songs to live independently, turning this into a mesmerizing 90-minute bio-concert. The production values are dazzling, with a special nod to the vibrant choreography of the prolific Sergio Trujillo, who has the lithe ensemble dancing throughout. Summer is the musical to see this summer. For tickets and show info go to: http://thedonnasummermusical.com/
Waitress: An unwanted pregnancy brings unexpected love into the mundane life of Jenna (the radiant Katharine McPhee), an unhappily married waitress at a small town diner, where she specializes in pie making. Her oppressive husband (the fiercely commanding Ben Thompson ) wants to control Jenna and is already jealous of the baby “baking” deep inside her. When a baking contest in a nearby county offers her a chance at escape, Jenna must weigh her commitments against a rare shot at freedom and recognition. Her customers, co-workers and flirtatious doctor offer her conflicting recipes for happiness — but Jenna must ultimately decide for herself. Common, unremarkable folk facing life’s daily questions make for this uncommon hit musical. Based upon the 2007 motion picture, Waitress crystallizes female empowerment by featuring a new score by five-time Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, a book by Jessie Nelson, direction by Diane Paulus and choreography by Lorin Latarro. It’s Broadway’s first musical comprised of an all-female creative team. The result is an uplifting and intelligent tale that celebrates friendship, motherhood, and the magic of a well-made pie! Titles like What Baking Can Do, It Only Takes a Taste, and I Love You Like a Table beautifully unfold the homespun heartfelt narrative delivered by an outstanding cast with kudos to the outrageously talented Christopher Fitzgerald in the scene-stealing role of Ogie the extroverted suiter of Dawn,
Jenna’s best friend and love-averse co-waitress. But what’s most compelling about Waitress is its bold analysis of life’s complexities seen from a woman’s perspective. By virtue of her gender, Jenna is faced with the daunting responsibility of motherhood alongside an unworthy partner. This prospect leaves her like an unbaked pie — a bunch of disparate emotional ingredients: lost, unsure and unwanted. But the upcoming baby serves as the “heat,” that turns her confusion into love, hope and acceptance; she emerges an optimistic single mom-to-be, confident in her future and deeply in love – with her newborn. If that seems like a lot for a little musical to do – you’re right. But Waitress does it beautifully, eight times a week at the Brook Atkinson Theatre. Not to be missed. For tickets CLICK HERE
Once on This Island is the heartbreaking but uplifting legend of “Ti Moune” — a fearless peasant island girl who believes that love can bridge people of different social classes. Though poor, she invokes the guidance of the powerful island gods and embarks on a remarkable quest to reunite with the rich young man who has captured her heart. Borrowing elements from Romeo and Juliet with a touch of The Little Mermaid, this Once on this Island is not your typical song-and-dance musical. Played in the round, the center performance space has been transformed into a post-hurricane tropical island – filled with sand and colorful debris which the players will employ as props and costumes in their story of healing. And with a narrative that opens with a young girl swept away during a storm, it’s a brilliant concept that parallels the all too familiar realities recently experienced by the tropics. (Can anyone say “Puerto Rico”?) For his fresh vision, director Michael Arden’s production has been acknowledged with eight 2018 Tony nominations, among them Best Director of a Musical and Best Musical Revival. The score, which is a thrilling mix of all island styles, is crafted by Lynn Aher (lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty (music) – the creative dynamos behind the mega-hits Ragtime, Seussical and Anastasia. But at the center of this story is the character of Ti Moune, a truly revolutionary heroine. Played flawlessly by the 2018 Best Actress in a Musical Tony nominee, Hailey Kilgore, Ti Moune’s undaunted heart leads us to a profound understanding of pure, selfless love. Once on this Island is the first Broadway revival of this splendid jewel of a show since it premiered in 1990. It’s a transformative story of the triumph of the human spirit as it rises from the ashes of destruction — undaunted by hate, racism, classism and misunderstanding. Could it be more relevant? For tickets and more information go to http://onceonthisisland.com
Comments