Susan Granger’s review of “The Roommate” (Booth Theater on Broadway)

 

There’s ‘star power’ a-plenty when the curtain goes up on “The Roommate” – so much that Mia Farrow and Patti LuPone slyly take brief applause-acknowledging bows even before their comedic/drama begins.

“I didn’t realize Mia’s that tall,” whispered the man behind me. “She isn’t,” said his companion. “She’s 5’3” but Patti’s barely 5’2”.”  “Well she looks taller!”

That having been clarified, their odd-couple two-hander begins as Robyn (LuPone) moves into the spare bedroom in the sprawling Iowa City farmhouse belonging to Sharon (Farrow).

Tough-talking, chain-smoking, black-leather-clad, restless Robyn’s an outspoken vegetarian from the Bronx, while chatty, naïve Sharon’s only contact with New York comes through her adult, clothing-designer son who lives in Park Slope. (Voiced on the phone by uncredited Ronan Farrow.)

So for the first half of Jen Silverman’s play, Sharon’s guileless, recently-divorced country-mouse seems constantly surprised, confused and intrigued by lesbian/grifter Robyn’s city-mouse behavior, including requiring almond milk in her coffee, swindling money out of people (particularly senior citizens), and growing marijuana plants.

“Please don’t call them ‘drugs,’ they’re ‘medicinal herbs,’” Robyn defensively explains. “Herbs only become drugs when a capitalist economy gets involved.”

Make no mistake: this is a star vehicle, ostensibly chronicling the unexpected, life-changing friendship between two seeming disparate, older women – both troubled by their identity, mortality and the prospect of re-invention.

Directed by Jack O’Brien, Mia Farrow oozes screwball vulnerability, claiming she learned from the Harvard Business Review that “Expansion is progress,” while formidable Patti LuPone wryly sneers: “Sustaining and expanding are two different activities.”

Yes, it’s predictably far-fetched. Its pop-culture references are dated – not to mention repetitive – and there’s no intermission in which to escape.

Bob Crowley designed the kitchen-centric, wood-framed set and character-driven costumes, augmented by Natasha Katz’ lighting design, Mikaal Sulaiman’s sound, David Yazbek’s music, with wigs/hair/make-up by Robert Pickens & Katie Gill.

After numerous regional productions, “The Roommate” is scheduled to run on Broadway at the Booth Theatre through December 12. For tickets and information: theroommatebway.com

Susan Granger’s review of “Left on Tenth” (Broadway review)

All her life, genial Delia Ephron has lived in the shadow of her more famous older sister: writer/director Nora Ephron. As romantic comedy writers, they often collaborated (“You’ve Got Mail”) and shared a genetic predisposition for leukemia.

But that revelation comes mid-way through Delia’s 2022 memoir-adaptation “Left on Tenth” that just opened on Broadway.

Set on a lefty street in Greenwich Village, her story, as related by Delia (Julianna Margulies), begins with seemingly endless calls to Verizon. A while ago when her husband died and she had his phone disconnected, Verizon also deleted her internet connection – a frustrating situation she’s been unable to remedy.

After the New York Times published her amusing essay about this dilemma – which Verizon eventully rectified –  Delia is e-mailed by charming widower Peter Rutter (Peter Gallagher), a Jungian psychiatrist in Northern California, who recalls they were introduced by Nora and actually went on a couple of dates many years ago. None of which Delia remembers.

Their long-distance relationship predictably evolves into real-life romance. “I began to believe I was falling into my own romantic comedy,” she notes, revealing she’s been obsessed with love since she first watched the 1954 movie musical “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.”

Running one hour, 40 minutes without an intermission, it grows increasingly tedious as Delia bravely battles agonizing chemotherapy with stalwart, solicitous, stoic, saintly Peter at her side. (Apparently, he slept on a cot in her hospital room.)  

Problem is: the superficial script suffers from awkwardly interminable affability. There’s too little character development and even less friction or tension. What you see is what you get, including the inevitable ‘happily-ever-after’ ending.

Directed by Susan Stroman with various supporting roles played by Peter Francis James and Kate MacCluggage, it’s enhanced by Beowulf Boritt’s elegantly book-lined set design, Jeff Mahshie’s costumes, lighting by Ken Billington & Itohan Edoloyi, sound by Jill BC Du Boff, projections by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, wigs by Michael Buonincontro and the obedient dogs are credited to Theatrical Animals Inc.

“Left on Tenth” is at the James Earl Jones Theater at 138 East 48^th Street.

Susan Granger’s review of “That Parenting Musical” (Off-Broadway)

 

“While in the trenches of parenting two young kiddos, we learned very quickly that our experiences – as ridiculous, hilarious, heartwarming and gross as they could be – were shared by so many others out there as to be near-universal,” say Graham and Kristina Fuller, creators of “That Parenting Musical” on 42^nd Street’s Theatre Row in Theatre 3.

“Those parents were longing for a night out, particularly a comedic experience shared by other parents experiencing a similar life stage,” they go on. “It was out of this inspiration and relatability that ‘That Parenting Musical’ was born.”

The set (designed by Tim Mackabee) depicts a cozy nursery, adorned with preschooler’s larger-than-life stick drawings. There are shelves filled with books and toys, many of which become props as the congenial show commences.

Cleverly utilizing a cast of six, there’s no formal plot, per se, as this cheerful yet somewhat sophomoric celebration/lamentation of motherhood and fatherhood unfolds under the aegis of director/choreographer Jen Wineman.

Basically, two sleep-deprived parents are attempting to navigate living – in a constant state of exhaustion – with a newborn and a toddler. Max Crumm stars as Child #1 with Vidushi Goyal as Child #2. McKenna Ogrodnik is Mom; Dwayne Washington is Dad – with Natalie Bourgeois as a sarcastic Single Friend and Brian Owen as Narrator/boyfriend Todd.

As the vignettes unfold – from the first ‘discovery’ of pregnancy to doctor’s visits to labor and childbirth-  it’s obviously predictable what with yoga pants dominating Mom’s wardrobe, along with Dad’s cargo shorts.

Memorable musical numbers in what becomes a song cycle include “Toddler Travel Travesty,” “The Most Dangerous Things in the Room,” “Glide,” “Behind,” “Second Child Blues,” and “A Little Bit of Space,” rockin’ with authenticity under the direction of Dan Graeber, who also did the orchestrations.

Kudos to costume designer Tina McCartney, lighting supervisor Alan C. Edwards, sound by Jessica Paz and props from Brendan McCann.

Previously titled “The Trenches,” this revue was developed in 2019 at Louiseville Colorado’s CenterStage Theater Company and Denver, Colorado’s Elaine Wolfe Theatre. It’s aimed at a very specific audience which will inevitably limit the length of its run.

For ticket information, go to ThatParentingMusical.com.

 

 

 

Susan Granger’s review of “Someone Spectacular” (Off-Broadway/Romulus Linney Theatre/Pershing Square Signature Center on 42^nd Street)

 

“To start or not to start: that is the question” confronting the six members of a weekly grief-counseling session when Beth, their therapist, doesn’t show up.

That’s also the beginning of “Someone Spectacular,” the world premiere of a new play by Domenica Feraud, who is obviously a big proponent of group therapy yet curious enough to wonder what might happen if the therapist wasn’t there to maintain boundaries and keep everyone in check.

The six bereaved participants are on-stage when the audience enters the theater, each taking chair from the stack and silently arranging themselves in a circle. They’re obviously waiting for their counselor Beth, who has not yet shown up.

They’ve been meeting once a week for three months, each nurturing his/her chaotic cocoon of grief. Ten minutes passes, then 20.

Julien (Shakur Tolliver), who is lamenting his aunt’s death, suggests they start doing breathing exercises while up-tight Nellie (Alison Cimmet), who is grieving the passing of her ‘good’ sister, proposes they vote for a mediator – a ‘replacement Beth’ – or disperse.

“No one here is qualified to lead a session,” counters Jude (Delia Cunningham), who is mourning a miscarriage. Certainly not bitter Lily (Ana Cruz Kayne), a ‘retired’ 30 year-old actress – prone to panic attacks – traumatized by the belief that she’s killed her beloved cancer-stricken mother who died at age 50.

Not sensitive, kindly Evelyn (Gamze Ceylan), mourning the loss of her elderly mother, nor heartbroken widower Thom (Damian Young), who keeps suggesting that they play “Fuck, Marry, Kill.”

Obviously Beth’s rules – which carefully avoided comparing their levels of suffering – have been abandoned. “I think Beth’s dead,” concludes Lily. So what’s to become of these hapless souls whose pervasive fear of abandonment is realized?

And how many audience members will feel moved enough to write the name of their ‘someone spectacular’ – someone they’ve loved and lost – on scraps of paper on a little corkboard outside the theater?

Disarmingly directed by Tatiana Pandiani, each character in this ensemble has his/her ‘memorable moment’ of survivor’s guilt – and their traumatic 90-minute dialogue exchanges are often peppered with humor.

Credit dots for the realistic set design, Siena Zoe Allen’s costumes, aptly lit by Oona Curley’s fluorescents with appropriate sound design by Mikaal Sulaiman. Visit someonespectacular.com for more information.

“Someone Spectacular” will run through September 7 – Off-Broadway at the Romulus Linney Theatre at the Pershing Square Signature Center on 42^nd Street.

Susan Granger’s review of “The Wiz” (Marquis Theater)

 

After a 13-city national tour, “The Wiz” is back on Broadway – almost 50 years after it began. This fast-paced, reimagined revival, directed by Schele Williams with an updated book by Amber Ruffin, aims to be the Blackest of all Oz adaptations.

Sad and bullied by her classmates, plaintive Dorothy (Nichelle Lewis) is a city girl who has moved to Kansas to live with her kindly Aunt Em (Melody A. Betts, also doubling as the Wicked Witch Evillene). This opening scene takes its grayscale cue from the classic Judy Garland film.

Then, suddenly, swept away by a tornado, Dorothy finds herself in a flashy, fantastical, CGI-augmented land, where she’s greeted by gold-clad Glinda (Deborah Cox) and befriends the Scarecrow (Avery Wilson), who’s in need of a brain; Tin Man (Phillip Johnson Richardson), who yearns for a heart, warbling “What I Would Do If I Could Feel”; and Lion (Kyle Ramar Freeman), seeking courage – as she eases on down the Yellow Brick Road – exuberantly choreographed by JaQuel Knight.

Dorothy’s dog Toto has been jettisoned but comedian Amber Ruffin’s narrative adds more background information about her companions than we’ve had before, although much of it either doesn’t really make sense or its meaning is drowned out by the excessive amplification of Charles Smalls’ score.

As for the titular Great & Powerful Wiz (suave Wayne Brady), he’s dancin’ through hip-hop Emerald City, along with the rest of the funky, Afro-futuristic candy-color clad cast – courtesy of costumer Sharen Davis.

Problem is: while earnest 24 year-old Nichelle Lewis has a sweetly delicate voice, eventually belting out “Home” in front of a star-studded night sky, she lacks ‘star quality’/emotional depth. As a result, this flimsy, underwhelming production still looks, feels and sounds like a family-friendly, second-rate road-show which, given the exorbitant price of Broadway tickets, is disappointing.

For far more fun, setting a Black spin on L. Frank Baum’s beloved fairy tale, search out Sidney Lumet’s “Wiz” film, starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

Susan Granger’s review of “Enemy of the People” (Circle in the Square)

 

The idiom “Everything old is new again…” reverberates throughout Sam Gold’s revival of Henrik Ibsen’s 1882 classic drama “An Enemy of the People,” since it seems to reverberate with contemporary allusions to truth being discarded in favor of ‘alternative facts’ and conveniently advantageous interpretations.

Set in a small town in late 19^th century Norway, it revolves around earnest, recently widowed physician Dr. Thomas Stockmann (Jeremy Strong), who has discovered dangerous bacterial contamination in the popular public baths of the local spa resort.

Now, university lab reports have confirmed the scientist’s suspicious that the newly opened spa has been poisoned by industrial pollutants emanating from a tannery owned by his father-in-law, Morten Kiiil (David Patrick Kelly).

His revelation that the runoff is “a buffet of poison” and “public health risk” evokes memories of the Flint, Michigan, 2016 water crisis, along with the initial denial of the COVID pandemic. Thomas is guilelessly arrogant and naively abrasive, bristling with righteous indignation – but he’s right.

Vehement opposition erupts from Thomas’s brother Peter Stockmann (Michael Imperioli), the town’s pragmatic Mayor, who accuses his sibling of irresponsibility in threatening to go public at a town meeting with these findings which inevitably close the spa for three years or more, probably causing their tourist-driven economy to crash.

Gold’s wife Amy Herzog (“A Doll House”) has adroitly condensed this adaptation for a contemporary American audience, emphasizing the cynicism about science by people who have been manipulated by those in power, the precarious position of being a whistleblower, the perennial conflict between environmental vs. economic interests, and trial by public opinion.

While Ibsen’s moral indignation still abounds, Herzog and Gold change his concluding speech. Instead, seafaring Captain Horster (Alan Trong), Thomas’ only loyal friend, notes: “There’s something to be said for…being at the very bottom. You know where the ground is.”

Both Jeremy Strong and Michael Imperioli deliver passionate performances, along with the ensemble, consisting of Thomas Jay Ryan as the self-righteous printer Aalaksen, Caleb Eberhardt as the opportunistic editor Hovstad, and Victoria Pedretti as Thomas’s schoolteacher daughter Petra.

Scenic design by collective known as “dots” utilize the staging-in-the-round to develop the Scandinavian concept with weathered white wood, real candles and oil lamps, enhanced by Isabella Byrd’s lighting and David Zinn’s authentic period costumes.

At one point, described as a ‘pause,’ a full bar is lowered from the ceiling and theatergoers in the first few rows are welcomed to enjoy free Linie aquavit; some are even invited to stay on the set for the pivotal scenes to follow.

Running about two hours with no intermission, “An Enemy of the People” plays at the Circle-in-the-Square (235 West 50^th Street) through June 16.

Susan Granger’s review of “Stalker” (Off-Broadway at New World Stages)

 

Mentalism is a fascinating branch of magic, one that involves the mind, triggering the imagination. Performers who specialize in mentalism assume the appearance of having psychic powers that transcend the ordinary.

Effective mentalists are able to trick the brain into seeing or believing something that does not exist. Despite the mystery that surrounds it, the human brain is actually rather easy to manipulate. Mentalism has been practiced for years, dating back to ancient seers and oracles.

Yet, as mentalists will be the first to tell you, they are not magicians. Instead, they make use of the powerful psychological concepts of suggestion and influence to involve the audience in ways ordinary magicians do not.

After Peter Brynolf & Jonas Ljung served as their Opening Act at the Ritz Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, renowned magicians Penn & Teller are presenting their amazing mentalism show “Stalker” in its New York debut at New World Stages (340 West 50^th Street).

Swedish performers Brynolf & Ljung combine stunning illusions, physical mentalism, and sleight-of-hand, involving various members of the audience in every phase of their presentation.

Pivoting on the sinister lack of privacy in this modern age, Brynolf & Ljung ask for volunteers to come to the stage where they reveal their names and have their photographs taken.  After that, it’s all about surveillance and collecting personal data which, apparently, is abundant and absurdly revealing.

Technology as invaded our lives. Cyber culture has enabled others to know far more about us than we realize…and that’s what “Stalker” is all about.

“Eurovision” mastermind Edward AfSillen directs, utilizing lighting by Jamie Roderick and Drew Levy’s sound design. The awesome show runs 90 minutes with no intermission with the tagline, “Follow us. We’re already following you…”

Susan Granger’s review of “The Who’s Tommy” (Nederlander Theater)

 

One wonders: just how often is “The Who’s Tommy” going to come back?

I’m old enough to remember guitarist Pete Townshend’s 1969 landmark concept album. As years passed, the rock opera morphed into a ballet, a symphony and Ken Russell’s 1975 psychedelic movie. As if that wasn’t enough, director Des McAnuff teamed with Pete Townshend to turn it into a high-flying hit Broadway musical in 1993, blasting the eardrums of anyone who hadn’t thought to buy ear plugs.

Now – 30 years later – it’s back again!

Set in England just after W.W. II, the book follows the surreal journey of four-year-old Tommy Walker (played at alternating performances by Cecilia Ann Popp and Olive Ross-Kline) who is traumatized after seeing his PSD-afflicted father (Adam Jacobs) shoot  his mother’s (Alison Luff) lover. When his parents realize Tommy was there, they swear him to secrecy, insisting: “You didn’t hear it/You didn’t see it/You won’t say anything to no one/Never in your life!”

So Tommy shuts off his senses, appearing to be deaf, mute and blind. As years pass, vulnerable Tommy (Quinten Kusheba, alternating with Reese Levine) suffers additional abuse, including sexual assault by his pedophile, beer-swilling Uncle Ernie (John Ambrosino) and brutal bullying by his sadistic Cousin Kevin (Bobby Conte).

Then there’s the seductive Acid Queen (Christina Sajous) with her hallucinogenic stash….and Tommy’s bizarre fixation with a mirror, cueing Alison Luff’s “Smash the Mirror” showstopper.

Yet, miraculously – in the second act – grown Tommy (Ali Louis Bourzgui) becomes a messianic whiz at pinball, signaling the possibility of regeneration and rock celebrity/stardom.

This colder, harsher version is quite different from previous incarnations. Tommy doesn’t soar (literally) since the flying has been eliminated and the string quartet, which was part of the orchestrations, has also been discarded.

Instead, there’s sensory overload with Peter Nigrini’s projections, including live video, and Amanda Zieve’s kaleidoscopic lighting – which tend to be quite overwhelming atop David Korins’ spare, shape-shifting set. Serafina Bush’s costumes appear unimaginative, as is Lorin Latarro’s humdrum choreography.

All of which made me yearn to revisit Ken Russell’s cinematic adaptation – with The Who’s lead singer Roger Daltrey as Tommy, Ann-Margret & Oliver Reed as his parents and myriad cameos from Elton John, Jack Nicholson and Tina Turner.

Susan Granger’s review of “The Notebook” (Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre)

 

Some movie-to-stage transitions work, some don’t. Unfortunately, Broadway’s  boring musical adaptation of “The Notebook” falls into the latter category.

Based on Nicholas Sparks’ best-selling 1996 novel, it’s a romantic chronicle that begins in a nursing home where elderly Noah (Dorian Harewood) is reading from his journal to his wife Allie (Maryann Plunkett), who has Alzheimer’s. He’s hoping that passages will remind her of their past and bring her back to him – one more time.

That cues flashbacks to when they met as carefree teenagers (John Cardoza, Jordan Tyson) in the 1970s; she was a rich girl on vacation in a mid-Atlantic coastal town, while he was a local, sworking-class boy. She liked to paint; he strummed a guitar. When summer ended, everyone assumed they’d forget each other but they didn’t.

Their paths crossed again as young adults (Ryan Vasquez, Joy Woods) when Allie is engaged to lawyer Lon (Chase Del Ray), but decides to return to the place where she met Noah after reading a newspaper clipping about an antebellum farmhouse he’s spent years renovating; of course, he’d never forgotten her.

The book by Bekah Brunstetter (“This Is Us”) only sketches their characters in the most superficial way and the mid-tempo ballads by singer/songwriter Ingrid Michaelson (“The Way I Am”) are ultimately forgettable.

So it’s up to the actors to enmesh the audience in the manipulative content; they try but only partially succeed, perhaps due to the casually accepted, yet inconsistent cross-racial casting; Maryann Plunkett and Dorian Harewood achieve the strongest, most compassionate connection.

Co-directed by Michael Greif (“Dear Evan Hansen,” “Next to Normal”) and Schele Williams (“The Wiz”) with sets by David Zin and Brett J Banakis, its non-linear timeline is choreographed by Katie Spelman, lit by Ben Stanton and costumed by Paloma Young.

Needless to add, this musical adaptation lacks the emotional impact of the 2004 tear-jerker, starring Rachel McAdams & Ryan Gosling/Gena Rowlands & James Garner, despite the sale of $5 tissues in the lobby.

Susan Granger’s review of “Water for Elephants” (Imperial Theatre)

 

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Broadway’s new musical “Water for Elephants” is great, exuberant family fun!

Adapted from Sara Gruen’s best-selling 2006 novel, it revolves around the reminiscences of elderly Jake Jankowski, (Greg Edelman), who sneaks out of his dreary assisted living facility to visit a nearby traveling circus.

Back in the 1930s Depression era, young Jacob (Grant Gustin), having almost graduated from veterinary school, hops aboard a circus train transporting the “Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth.”

When he advises Marlena (Isabelle McCalla) about her ailing white stallion Silver Star, it’s love-at-first-sight. But Marlena’s married to cruel ringmaster/owner August (Paul Alexander Nolan), so there’s bound to be trouble.

So much for melodrama. Far more impressive is the enchanting fantasy adventure that erupts when Rosie, an abused, abandoned elephant, arrives and Jacob discovers that she understands commands only when they’re spoken in Polish.

Working with a book by Rick Elise (“Peter and the Starcatcher”), folkloric-yet-forgettable songs by the seven-member collective PigPen Theatre Co, choreography by circus expert Shana Carroll & Jesse Robb, director Jessica Stone (“Kimberly Akimbo”) showcases members of the Montreal Cirque Troup 7 Fingers whose exuberant acrobatics dazzle and delight.

Puppetry by Ray Wetmore, Jr Goodman and Camille Labarre evokes the various animals cavorting around Takeshi Kata’s imaginative set. There are thrilling aerial routines on ropes with silks, hoops and snaps, along with tumbling, juggling, knife throwing and a Cyr wheel – creating a visual marvel!

Adding to the engaging Big Top effects are David Israel Reynoso’s costumes, Walter Trarbach’s sound design, Bradley King’s strobe lighting and David Bergali’s mood-setting projections. Too bad the so-called ‘clown’ interlude is decidedly clunky.

(FYI: Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz starred in the 2011 movie version, streaming on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube & Vudu.)

For ticket information: waterforelephantsthemusical.com