Dessa Rose

Before the review, the day ahead of it.
Donna and Patty for lunch. Wonderful, smart and funny business women.
Walking and shopping through SOHO.
Dinner at a 46th Street Pub.
Met Bill at Don't Tell Mama to see Seth Rudetsky's Broadway Chatterbox. Richard Kind was the guest. The hour flew by. Seth is about the funniest man I have ever seen. The mind is always working.
Passed Jonathan Price and his wife on the street.
Then up to Lincoln Center to see Dessa Rose.
OK, here's the plot:
Black, pregnant slave is abused, then kills and escapes and take up residence with a bitchy white woman who was abandoned by her husband. After 2 hours, they finally strike up a respectful friendship that lasts all but 3 minutes. Everyone sees it coming, it just takes so long. LaChanze was out and her understudy was fine. Rachel York was fine, Norm Lewis was wasted. It was not bad at all. Just kind of boring. The music was pretty, but not memorable. Stephen Flaherty composed the score, and after Ragtime and Seussical, I expected more tunes that had hooks. Nothing. About an 1/8th of the audience never came back after intermission. Too bad, the second act took off. Seems everything I've seen lately has been the reverse. A terrific 1st act, followed by 45 minutes of tying up loose ends.
Even on nights like this, I love New York Theater. I wouldn't trade this for anything.

The Apple Tree

City Center Encores can either be wonderful reproductions of long forgotten shows, or terrible re-hashes from an underprepaired cast. Thankfully, last nights production of The Apple Tree was the first.
As much as I want to dislike Kristin Chenoweth after the release of her disasterous Christian CD, I have to admit, she is brilliant. Comic timing, exquisite voice, perky and precise stage movement. She is our generations Judy Holliday. She made something quite special out of not much of a second and third act. I love theater, but rarely do I find myself laughing out loud. Last night I did. A lot.
Malcolm Gets is also wonderful. This is the third time I have seen him perform, and he is perfect at whatever he takes on. Clear, direct, and never misses the mark.
Michael Cerveris, hmmm..., I suppose he has a place as a character actor, but honestly, he creeps me out a bit. In the first act, every time he (as the ssssnake) appeared on stage, the show fell flat. He was much better as the guitar playing narrator. in the second act.
What an odd show. Three acts, three different stories. Interesting. The first act score was there strictly to support the comedy. The second and third acts were musically much more interesting to my ear. With tunes like, "Oh, to be a movie star", and "I'll tell you a truth", these acts moved along and had me humming out the door. Another great night of theater.

The Bakers Wife

Paper Mill playhouse always pulls it off. Last nights production of The Bakers Wife was wonderful. The sets were beautiful,the staging was clear and the casting was terrific (except for the 3 nieces)
Alice Ripley is a powerhouse. Her voice soars. Meadowlark, the standard from the show, was as moving as the first time I heard it. Seeing her after the show was nice. She is gracious and kind, a surprise, now a brunette.
Max Von Essen is a gem too. He moves like Gene Kelly and has a pitch-perfect tenor that is ideal for his role. And not bad on the eyes.
I find all of Stephen Shwartz' shows to be missing something. In this one, the first act is great, then the second, well, there was nothing to say, and not much happening, so it turns out to be a lot of filler. He always has 2 or 3 great songs, and the rest of the show never registers musically. I felt the same way about Pippin. I need to listen to the original recording and see if that makes a difference.
Really great night of theater.

Norm Lewis, Just Chillin'

Just Chillin', an Evening with Norm Lewis, a benefit for the Actors Fund of America at Joe's Pub last night. Great night, super table, lovely friends. And then Norm came out. Tall, smiling, sexy, and then...that voice. You can't take your eyes off him. An hour and twenty minutes of "signature songs" that influenced him and his way of song styling. Fun material, all recognizable, but with his own spin.
Then the raffle. 5 tickets, $20 bucks for a good cause. Winner gets 2 VIP tix to Spamalot, and a basket full of other goodies. Ding ding ding, I win. Can't wait to see Spamalot again.
Backstage, Mr. Lewis confirmed that he truly is the nicest man on Broadway. Gracious and lovely. Met Michael Arden (amazing voice), Capathia Jenkins and Liz McCartney from Taboo. Still floating. I love nights like this.