The Heart Of Robinhood

January 11th -- 2pm matinee.

Almost a year to the day since the last time I was at A.R.T. (American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA), I returned to see The Heart of Robinhood.

This was one of those shows that isn't really considered a musical, but it's not quite a play either (think Peter and the Starcatcher).

The first thing I noticed when I walked in the theater was set, because honestly it was amazing. When I was at A.R.T. last year, the space was set up as a typical proscenium-style theater. This time the stage extended onto the floor and there was seating on the right and left side of the thrust and then the normal stadium style was across from that. We sat in row I, seats 33-35. I honestly don't think there was a bad seat in the house for this show -- the way the space was set up allowed for great sight lines. I was in the last seat on house left and I didn't miss anything.

After I assessed the differences in seating, I looked up and saw tree branches extending onto the ceiling from the tree on the stage. It was like walking into a forest. The band (Poor Old Shine), a Mumford and Sons-esque group of men with odd facial hair, greeted the audience when the doors opened and played for the fifteen minutes until the show. They fit right in with the set, set the overall tone of the show -- hip, new, cool, but also aged, and they sounded great. Having them come up into the audience was a nice touch. Poor Old Shine played during scene changes, and provided the soundtrack to the show. The cast did sing a few times as well.

The show itself wasn't the most brilliant thing I have ever seen, but it was a lot of fun. The word that comes to mind every time someone asks me what I thought is "charming" because that's exactly what it was. You couldn't help but fall in love with Robinhood. You couldn't help but adore the flamboyant and up-on-pop-culture servant, Pierre. And you couldn't help but be wowed by the special effects and the gorgeous twinkle lights and the beautiful costumes.

So yeah, it was a little contrived and some of the jokes were too obvious, but it was almost a farce. And I appreciated that it was smart, the humor was enjoyable and the audience was filled with kids laughing and adults.

I don't know where this show is going (if anywhere), but it was a fun afternoon at the theater.

And Robinhood's body was worth the $65 ticket price. Classic.

The Glass Menagerie

Saturday, October 12 (matinee - 2pm).

If you've spoken to me personally since I saw this show, you know how I feel about it. This production was the best play I have ever seen in my life outside of a few things I saw in London. It was absolutely mind blowingly (not a word, yes I am aware) amazing. I've read the play a few times before, but never really had a good grasp on it until seeing the action play out onstage.

First of all, I predict this season will be pretty epic for male leads in revivals of plays, and the Tony category will be stacked in June -- think Mark Rylance, Ian McClellan, Patrick Stewart, Daniel Craig. But if Zachary Quinto doesn't at least get nominated for his portrayal of Tom, my faith in theater will be lost. Actually though, this is a career defining for him. He was unbelievable. Stunning. Brilliant. Fabulous. A joy to watch. And it wasn't just how he spoke or how he moved, it was everything. The entire package. Every minute he wasn't onstage I found myself wishing he was. I was enthralled by how he moved, not just the choreographed movement, but just how he walked around. It was fluid and remarkable.

Celia Keenan-Bolger's first entrance and last exit was stunning and surprising. There was a collective gasp from the audience when she appeared. As always, she was perfect. I often marvel at how she plays young characters so well. Laura is an extremely sympathetic character and Celia's Laura was so easy to relate to it felt like I had known her my entire life. Cherry Jones was wonderful as well and it was clear the audience enjoyed her immensely. We laughed when she appeared in an extravagant dress, and the true beauty of her relationship with her children brought the audience to sniffles.

The Gentleman Caller was portrayed to perfection by Brian J. Smith. I had actually completely forgotten what ends up happening with his character so by the end of his big moment with Laura I was dying a little inside. He was a joy to watch, and he played the part with a hint of melancholy that could be felt from the last row of the mezzanine (where I was sitting).

The lighting and sound design were characters in their own right. I was mesmerized by the lights. And the set was... stunning. It was so simply yet so complicated. Everything worked together perfectly to create an absolutely magical performance.

This production is one of those shows that I will remember experiencing for the rest of my life. Go see it ASAP. They just extended until February 23. No excuses.

Oh Hey

You're probably wondering where I went. Well, I'm still here... I just haven't been to see a Broadway show since May 15th. An absolute tragedy, I know.

The good news is that coming October 12th, I'll have something to write about!

I also want to mention that I haven't been totally theater deprived. This summer I was working at a theater company in the Berkshires, and had the privilege of seeing all the wonderful work both old and brand spanking new that was put on there.

So check back in a few weeks for a post!

Pippin

Wednesday, May 15th (evening).

Need I reiterate how much I adore this show? So if you remember back to January, I saw this production at ART before it's Broadway transfer. There are some new and exciting things that have been added since moving (real fire, anyone?), but overall it's the same magical experience.

I cannot say enough good things. Really. I can't. It's perfect. I have quite a soft spot for this show. I love the plot and the characters and the music. But trust me, I would tell you if there was something that bothered me. And there's nothing. I'm just a huge fan of the way Diane Paulus re-imagined this musical that could so easily be stuck in the 70's and never come out. Yeah, it's still a musical that was written in the 70's and there's evidence of that, but it's been reinvented.

Rushing is pretty intense for Pippin these days. I was there at 6:30am. But my seat was great -- Row D on the side (house left).

GO SEE THIS SHOW. Especially if you've ever been in it (*cough cough CHS musical 2010*). 

I might have stage-doored this one...

Me & Rachel Bay Jones (Catherine).

Me & Patina Miller (Leading Player).

Me & Terrence Mann (Charles).

Me & Matthew James Thomas (Pippin).

Annie

Wednesday, May 15th (matinee).

Not a fan of this show. And it's not just how I felt about this production... I just don't like the show. The best song is the ballad Warbucks sings in Act II. There was just nothing special about this production. It was Annie done the same as Annie has been done for years. Nothing new. I found myself watching what was happening backstage in the wings more than what was happening onstage. And I was struggling to stay awake during Act I.

I saw Jane Lynch's second performance and was not impressed. She seemed uncomfortable with everything that was happening. Her eyes were darting all over the place, she didn't seem focused on what she was doing onstage, and it was just awkward. Yeah, I get that this was only her second performance but I wanted more professionalism. I can guarantee you that I was the only one in the audience that was thinking about that... but different strokes for different folks. My favorite number in the show is "Easy Street" but it was not good.

Lila Crawford as Annie was impressive. Her voice, mostly. There were some acting moments that were painfully presentational and just poorly done. But when she sang it was pretty darn magical. Daddy Warbucks stole the show in my opinion. He was just great. Very sympathetic. The best moment in the show was the meeting between Roosevelt, Warbucks, Annie, and the other staff when Annie gets them to sing "Tomorrow" -- the fact that I think this is the best moment proves that I like moments with adults rather than children in musicals.

I was sitting in row AA for the first act and that was pretty restricted because the stage was so high. I missed everything the dog did. I moved back a row for Act II and could see upstage a lot better.

Have I mentioned I'm not a fan of the classics?

Matilda

Tuesday, May 14th.

For the second time. This time I sat in the mezzanine so there was no restricted view, which was nice, but also proved that I really didn't miss anything when I sat in the box.

I saw a different girl play Matilda (Sophia), but she was so similar to the one I saw before (Bailey) that it didn't feel like a different person.

The only problem I have with Matilda is that I don't feel as though the sound system is loud enough. I wanted to feel the music more. I remember having that complaint in London, that the speakers never seemed to be as loud as I wanted them to be. Over there I came to the conclusion that it was a London Theater thing, but maybe it's just the kind of show. I don't know. I just know that I wanted the sound to be louder.

Overall this show is spectacular and I highly recommend it. Not much else to say.

Macbeth

Monday, May 13th.

I can say for sure that I don't think I heard one audience member utter the dreaded title of this play while in the theater.

I rushed the show that morning and had a seat in the box so I knew my view would be restricted. Unfortunately it was very restricted and I missed everything that happened on stage left both upstage and downstage.

Alan Cumming was unbelievable. Honestly, it was just amazing to watch him perform. I cannot even fathom what it takes to do what he did for an hour and forty-five minutes. Just unreal. I spent the entire show just wanting to hug him, which is probably not how I was supposed to feel, but he just seemed adorable.

The one issue I had with the show was towards the end when the nurse went down on one knee and replied as a solider. To me, that broke the entire concept and proved that it was flawed. Throughout the entire show you believe that Alan Cumming is acting out the story of Macbeth in his head and he's being monitored in an insane asylum/hospital by the two nurses. The nurses never respond to him, only coming to check him out when they think he has self-mutilated or needs sedating from working himself up. Then all of a sudden the male nurse is part of the play... why? That was really strange and not clear as to why it happened. The overall concept worked, but only up until that point.

I'm very glad I got to experience this production. Good stuff happening.