Black Love Review Roundup

Posted on April 5, 2022 by boz

London theater critics have given mixed reviews to the one-act musical Black Love, about siblings Aurora and Orion and their investigation of the Black experience through real and imagined worlds, which plays a limited run through April 23 at the Kiln Theatre. The creative team includes Chinonyerem Odimba (book, lyrics, direction), Ben & Max Ringham (music), Richard Kent (production design), Richard Howell (lights), Joel Price (sound), Candida Caldicot (musical direction), and Celise Hicks (movement direction). The cast includes Nicholle Cherrie (Roo), Beth Elliott (Lois), and Nathan Queeley-Dennis (Orion). 

Cherrie and Queeley-Dennis (photo by Camilla Greenwell)

Evening Standard (Nick Curtis): A lush, wraparound, jazz-funk keyboard soundtrack provides the spine for this chamber musical, a jubilant celebration of black affection and identity tempered by white interference. It’s a likeable, often joyful but ultimately lopsided show, part family story and part polemic. … [Odimba’s] in-the-round staging is intimate and welcoming. The three performers generate a warm rapport with the audience and each other. Their singing is pleasing and heartfelt rather than West-End glossy but that adds to the charm. The celebratory tone is at odds with the issues, though. 3 out of 5 stars.

Time Out (Andrzej Lukowski): There are plenty of good things about the play. The euphoric ending doesn’t feel entirely earned, but it’s a giddy high point nonetheless. … These recordings [of Black people discussing the importance of Black love] almost seem to be the centre of the whole show: intimate, comforting, uncomplicated. The story seems oddly dissonant to that. … It’s perfectly reasonable to take the view that I might not appreciate a show so explicitly based on the Black experience. … Nonetheless, I do feel I got what Odimba was aiming for, and there’s a lot to like about her show, but I just struggled to get on board. 3 out of 5 stars.

Times (Clive Davis): Some of my happiest theatrical memories are associated with the Kiln — or the Tricycle, as I still tend to think of it — so I find myself wondering how such a clumsy piece could have been chosen to launch the venue’s new season. A musical play written and directed by the Nigerian-British writer Chinonyerem Odimba, Black Love was greeted with rapturous reviews last year when it toured on Paines Plough’s pop-up Roundabout stage. Far from being innovative, it serves up a tired blend of Afro-mysticism, bland songs and agitprop. 1 out of 5 stars.

WhatsOnStage (Alun Hood): The lived Black experience can’t be neatly encapsulated into a streamlined 90 minutes of stage time, and Odimba doesn’t attempt to do that, instead giving us a piece that challenges as much as it entertains: Black Love is messy, ambitious, raucous, frequently deeply moving and, at times, undeniably self-indulgent. It doesn’t offer a coherency so much as a series of snapshots into these young people’s urban lives. … Despite the flaws, and the overriding impression of this still being a work-in-progress, Black Love is a refreshingly original piece of theatre, provocative but suffused with affection. It’s a celebration and a cry of pain, and it’s not like anything else currently on any London stage. 3 out of 5 stars.

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2022 Grammy Winners

Posted on April 4, 2022 by boz

Last night, the Recording Academy announced the winners of its 64th Annual Grammy Awards during a ceremony at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, hosted by comedian Trevor Noah. Performer/composer Jon Batiste went into the evening with the most nominations (11) and left with the most awards (5), including the top prize of Album of the Year for We Are. The other big winner of the night was Silk Sonic, the superduo of Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak, who took home four prizes for “Leave the Door Open”: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance, and Best R&B Song.

Veteran composers Burt Bacharach, Bob Dylan, Stephen Schwartz, and Andrew Lloyd Webber were all passed over for the Best Musical Theater Album award, which went to newcomers Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear for The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical. However, Love for Sale, the Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga collection of classic theater songs by Cole Porter, earned some love with two awards: Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and Best Non-Classical Engineered Album.

In visual media, Best Compilation Soundtrack went to The United States vs. Billie Holiday, while Best Score Soundtrack was a tie between the TV miniseries The Queen’s Gambit by composer Carlos Rafael Rivera and the animated feature Soul by composers Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross. “All Eyes on Me” from Bo Burham: Inside was named Best Song Written for Visual Media.

Other stage music highlights during the ceremony included the In Memoriam segment, which featured singers Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., and Rachel Zegler in a medley of Stephen Sondheim’s “Not a Day Goes By” (Merrily We Roll Along), the 1976 Song of the Year Grammy winner “Send in the Clowns” (A Little Night Music), and “Somewhere” (West Side Story), in tribute to composer who died Nov. 26, 2021.

 

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2022 Oscar Winners

Posted on March 28, 2022 by boz

Last night, the 94th Academy Awards ceremony returned to the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, after a two-year absence due to the pandemic, with hosts Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes. The big winner of the night was the sci-fi remake Dune, which earned six awards in a near sweep of the artisan categories. The big story of the night, though, was Best Actor winner Will Smith’s storming the stage to slap presenter Chris Rock after the comedian’s joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith.

The two other multiple winners were the family drama CODA, which took home three prizes (including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor Troy Kotsur) and The Eyes of Tammy Faye, which took home two (including Best Actress Jessica Chastain and Best Makeup & Hair).

Among the musical nominees, the big winner was Ariana DeBose, who was named Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Anita in the remake of West Side Story. In her acceptance speech, DeBose gave a shout out to Rita Moreno, who likewise earned an Oscar for her performance of Anita in the original 1961 film adaptation.

https://youtu.be/kqeXEgZO_II

Other musical winners included Best Documentary Feature Summer of Soul and Best Animated Feature Encanto, which had two songs performed in the ceremony. Sebastián Yatra sang the nominated “Dos Oruguitas,” while Becky G, Luis Fonsi, and Megan Thee Stallion joined the film’s cast for “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” which wasn’t nominated but has topped the Billboard charts for five weeks.

https://youtu.be/SY5-V3Xdzb8

Finally, the Best Song award went to first-time nominees Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell for “No Time to Die” (from the Bond film No Time to Die), while the Best Score award went to Hans Zimmer for Dune.

https://youtu.be/NalZtt5jVvI

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2022 Razzie Winners

Posted on March 28, 2022 by boz

The winners of the 42nd Golden Raspberry Awards were announced at a ceremony on Saturday night, based on votes from members of the Golden Raspberry Foundation. The filmed version of the stage musical Diana, whose nine nominations were the most for any film this year, came away with five “wins,” the most for any film this year, including Worst Picture, Worst Director (Christopher Ashley), Worst Actress (Jeanna de Waal), Worst Supporting Actress (Judy Kaye), and Worst Screenplay (Joe DiPietro). 

The sports film Space Jam: A New Legacy took home three awards (Worst Actor LeBron James, Worst Screen Combo LeBron James and any Warner cartoon character, and Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel), while Worst Supporting Actor went to Jared Leto for House of Gucci and the sci-fi film Cosmic Sin won in the unique category of Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie. 

The final prize, the Razzie Redeemer Award, went to Will Smith for King Richard, a performance which also earned Oscar gold.

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Bhangin’ It Review Roundup

Posted on March 23, 2022 by boz

The world premiere of the new musical Bhangin’ It has received mixed reviews from San Diego critics. The show, which won the 2019 Richard Rodgers Award, is set in the world of intercollegiate competitive bhangra. The creative team includes Mike Lew and Rehana Lew Mirza (book), Sam Willmott (music, lyrics), Deep Singh (music, orchestrations, arrangements), Lisa Shriver (musical staging), Rujuta Vaidya (choreography), Stafford Arima (direction), Madeline Benson (music direction), Justin Goldner (orchestrations), Robert Brill (sets), Linda Cho (costumes), Jonathan Deans (sound), Amith Chandrashaker (lights), and projections (David Bengali). The production runs at La Jolla Playhouse through April 17.

The cast includes Ari Afsar (Mary), Aryaan Arora (Mohan), Bilaal Avaz (Amit), Jesse Bhamrah (Gobind),Brandon Contreras (Billy), Laura Dadap (Constance), Henry Walter Greenberg (Noah), Jason Heil (Wallace), Terrance Johnson (Jake), Jaya Joshi (Sunita), Madison McBride (Lily), Anu Mysore (Shetal), Amey Natu (Big Bob), Alka Nayyar (Rekha), Zain Patel (Varun), Devi Peot (New Mary), Vinithra Raj (Preeti), Ramita Ravi (Shilpa), and Nikki Mirza, Gerry Tonella, Levin Valayil (swings). Below is Ari Afsar singing “Erase You” from the show.

San Diego Story (Janice Steinberg): The story by Mike Lew and Rehana Lew Mirza takes on important themes: Who has the right to represent a culture, and how pure does that representation have to be? There’s also the question of how we negotiate our multiple layers of identity. … The bones of Bhangin’ It seem strong. However, the storytelling … too often uses a broad brush. … Sam Wilmott did the original music and lyrics in collaboration with [Deep] Singh, who plays in the seven-person band. Their Indian-flavored numbers are joyous. … Willmot’s more standard musical-theater songs are a mixed bag. … Whatever problems Bhangin’ It may have in its debut run, though, they’re in part a sign of how big Lew’s and Mirza’s vision is. This is a show with a lot of heart, grappling with issues that matter.

San Diego Union-Tribune (Pam Kragen): There’s lots to love about Bhangin’ It. … The splashy, high-energy musical … is jubilant, funny, accessible and entertaining, with clever lyrics and a diverse score by Sam Willmott, as well as scene after scene of exuberant bhangra dancing. … Mike Lew and Rehana Lew Mirza have filled the musical with diverse, well-crafted characters, quirky humor and touching moments. But their reliance on clichéd musical theater tropes make the story feel less unique than it could be. … Bhangin’ It touches on a few hot-button issues like ethnic purity and cultural appropriation, but they’re more sidelines to the musical’s central focus on friendship, belonging and fun. Bhangin’ It was built to be a feel-good musical and, fortunately for showgoers, it’s a very well-built machine.

Talkin’ Broadway (Bill Eadie): Despite campus relationships that would make Dobie Gillis look up to date, the music is lively, the production is colorful, and the dancing is first rate. The plot is a campus procedural. … The book by Mike Lew and Rehana Lew Mirza impresses as more than a little derivative but improves as the show progresses. Sam Willmott’s music and lyrics, with additional music by Deep Singh, may be far more Broadway than Bollywood, but collectively the songs have a beat and you can dance to them. Director Stafford Arima can take credit for a lot of what’s right with the show, along with his production team. … In the end, though, it’s a world premiere and it needs more work, perhaps a lot more work. I hope the creative team does that work and Bhangin’ It doesn’t end with this production.

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Little Girl Blue Review Roundup

Posted on March 22, 2022 by boz

The new Off-Broadway jukebox musical Little Girl Blue, inspired by life and music of Nina Simone, has received mixed reviews from New York critics. The show, fashioned around a set of concerts in Westbury, New York, during 1968 and Montreux, Switzerland, during 1976, premiered at George Street Playhouse in 2019 and was part of last year’s Goodspeed by the River series. The creative team includes Laiona Michelle (book), Devanand Janki (direction), Mark Fifer (music direction, arrangements), Shoko Kambara (sets), Ari Fulton (costumes), Dawn Chiang (lights), Twi McCallum (sound), and Earon Nealey (hair). Michelle stars as Simone, accompanied by musicians Fifer (piano), Kenneth Salters (drums), and Saadi Zain (bass). The show runs at New World Stages through May 22.

New York Theatre Guide (Ayanna Prescod): If you walked in without Simone’s complete story or with no sense of her undeniable personal struggles alongside her worldwide acclaim, you might walk out of the theatre believing she was simply an over-sexed woman, abused wife, and extremely difficult diva. What Little Girl Blue, named after Simone’s debut album, fails to do is celebrate a complex personality, a nuanced human being, and a proud Black woman who could not — and never wanted to — be put in a box. … What this show does get right is Michelle’s undeniable powerhouse voice. The music is there, and every time she opens her mouth, the melodies pour out glistening waterfalls. … If this had been a concert with little to no dialogue, it would have probably exceeded expectations. However, Little Girl Blue was just too little and too blue. 2 out of 5 stars.

Theater Mania (Pete Hempstead): No category quite defines Simone or her music. …That’s one aspect of Simone that Laiona Michelle emphasizes in her impressive if overambitious juke-box musical Little Girl Blue. … If any life lends itself to juke-box musical treatment, it’s Simone’s, but it’s a tall order for one person to pull off, and that turns out to be the case here. … Though Little Girl Blue feels crammed with more biography than it can comfortably contain, Michelle’s performance holds us. Her singing voice is brassier than Simone’s sultry contralto, and her re-creation of Simone’s onstage presence has an exaggerated awkwardness, but we always feel the spirit of the legendary performer emanating from the music. … Fittingly, the number “My Way” ends the show, a triumphant flourish for an artist who refused to be defined — Simone’s story in one song.

Theater Scene (Darryl Reilly): Nina Simone’s vocal talents, physical presence and spirit are all dazzlingly channeled by Laiona Michelle in her engaging self-written biographical concert-style musical Little Girl Blue. Ms. Michelle employs just enough of Simone’s cadences, facial expressions and physical gestures to create an authentic characterization while supremely singing over a dozen songs associated with the charismatic vocalist. The show’s well-researched spoken word portions deliver historical facts, biographical details and cultural commentary in the manner of Simone. … Little Girl Blue is a grand showcase for Laiona Michelle and a powerful affirmation of Nina Simone.

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The Life Review Roundup

Posted on March 18, 2022 by boz

Theater critics have given generally negative reviews to the Encores! revisal of the 1997 Broadway musical The Life at New York City Center. The creative team includes Cy Coleman (book, music), Ira Gasman (book, lyrics), David Newman (book), Billy Porter (adaptation, direction), James Sampliner (music direction, arrangements, orchestrations), Michael McElroy (vocal arrangements), Clint Ramos (sets), Anita Yavich (costumes), Driscoll Otto (lights), Kai Harada and Megumi Katayama (sound), Zachary Borovay (projections), Tom Watson (hair & wigs), and AC Ciulla (choreography). The production concludes its limited engagement on March 20.

The cast includes Jelani Alladin (Lou), Alexandra Grey (Queen), Antwayn Hopper (Memphis), Mykal Kilgore (Young JoJo), Ledisi (Sonja), Erika Olson (Mary), Destan Owens (Old Jojo), and Ken Robinson (Fleetwood) with ensemble members Joe Beauregard, Angela Brydon, Adee David, Tyler Eisenreich, Asmeret Ghebremichael, Semhar Ghebremichael, Jeff Gorti, Albert Guerzon, Heather Lang, Nathan Lucrezio, Tiffany Mann, LaQuet Sharnell Pringle, Devin L. Roberts, MiMi Scardulla, Anastasia Talley, and Tanairi Vazquez.

New York Times (Elisabeth Vincentelli): There are many changes to the book, but the most structurally consequential is the decision to frame the story as a flashback. … Every time we get absorbed in the 1980s goings-on, the older Jojo pops up with explainy back stories, ham-handed editorializing and numbing lectures. The original show let us progressively discover the characters’ distinct personalities through actions, words and songs; now they are archetypal pawns. … Encores has broadened its mission statement to include that the artists are “reclaiming work for our time through their own personal lens.” It’s clear that the series is moving into a new phase, but for many of us longtime fans, it’s also a little sad to lose such a unique showcase.

Theater Mania (David Gordon): In a noble effort to give a cartoony musical a social conscience, Porter has concocted a disjointed mess. … The heart of Porter’s production is in the right place … but Porter’s additions are embarrassingly heavy-handed, removing whatever comedy there was and replacing it all with a battering ram of political speechifying. … Conductor James Sampliner has rearranged Coleman’s big-band score with a more Funkadelic feel. Groovy? Certainly. Does it sound good? Hell no. … The Life is the most disappointingly sung and played Encores! production I’ve ever seen, and that doesn’t feel very much like Encores! at all.

Theater Pizzazz (Brian Scott Lipton): [Porter] succeeds in his main goal: giving more context to the societal circumstances that led some of these characters to enter “the life.” But too much of the new material simply feels overwrought or unnecessary, stretching the show to nearly three hours. More importantly, the show’s new, darker tone doesn’t jibe with the essential Broadway brassiness of the Coleman-Gassman score. … The show opens with a song called “Check It Out.” The song remains in place. As a recommendation, however, it now mostly applies to those theatergoers who are curious to see what Porter has done with the show, rather than audience members seeking a fully satisfying evening.

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March 2022 Theater Music

Posted on March 13, 2022 by boz

Four former Phantoms — Brent Barrett (2006, Las Vegas), John Cudia (2008, Broadway), Franc D’Ambrosio (1997, San Francisco), and Ciarán Sheehan (1996, Toronto) — united for a celebration of iconic showtunes, including songs from The Phantom of the Opera, of course, at the Manhattan cabaret Feinstein’s/54 Below. This unforgettable evening was recorded live for The Four Phantoms in Concert, with music supervision by Grammy winner David Caddick and music direction by Ryan Shirar, featuring guest Kaley Ann Voorhees, the youngest actress to play Christine on Broadway.

Stage Door Records is offering a limited edition release (500 copies only) of Another Time, Another Place, the first retrospective album of recordings by Sally Ann Howes, ranging from her early triumphs on the West End (Paint Your Wagon) to her starring roles on Broadway (Kwamina) and TV (The Gift of the Magi) that were written for her by husband Richard Adler, plus rare broadcast transcription recordings, including stunning performances of several Rodgers and Hart standards. The CD booklet also features extensive liner notes by theater historian George Dansker.

In honor of the late Stephen Sondheim, Palmetto Records has released Betty Buckley Sings Sondheim, a compilation of selections from Buckley’s previous albums — plus two new live recordings: “Another Hundred People” and “I Know Things Now.” Highlights include the album opener “Children Will Listen” from Children Will Listen (1993), which Buckley also performed at the 1992 Sondheim celebration at Carnegie Hall, and “Something’s Coming” from her album An Evening at Carnegie Hall (1996), which she also performed at the 2005 Sondheim 75th birthday concert on Broadway.

Broadway Records has released the 2022 Off-Broadway cast recording of Assassins, seen this past winter at Classic Stage Company, directed by frequent Sondheim interpreter John Doyle. The album, produced by Matt Stine and recorded/mixed by Isaiah Abolin, features cast members Adam Chanler-Berat, Eddie Cooper, Tavi Gevinson, Andy Grotelueschen, Bianca Horn, Judy Kuhn, Steven Pasquale, Ethan Slater, Will Swenson, Wesley Taylor, Brandon Uranowitz, Brad Giovanine, Whit K. Lee, Rob Morrison, and Katrina Yaukey, with music direction by Greg Jarrett.

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March 2022 Theater Books

Posted on March 10, 2022 by boz

Multi-hyphenate Tony winner Harvey Fierstein recounts his storied career from Brooklyn community theater to the Broadway stage in I Was Better Last Night. He also candidly recalls his personal struggles along the way, including an eccentric nonconforming childhood and the tumultuous early years of the AIDS crisis. Though enduring decades of addiction and despair, Fierstein ultimately triumphed, earning acclaim for shows such as Torch Song Trilogy, La Cage aux Folles, Hairspray, Fiddler on the Roof, and Kinky Boots in an astonishingly colorful and meaningful life.

Bernard F. Dick builds on his previous book, That Was Entertainment: The Golden Age of the MGM Musical, and traces the career of Darryl F. Zanuck in The Golden Age Musicals of Darryl F. Zanuck. Beginning with The Jazz Singer (1927) and 42nd Street (1933), Zanuck revolutionized the movie musical in a career that took him from Warner Bros. to his own Twentieth Century-Fox. This is the first book devoted to the producer’s profound impact on the genre and his role in nurturing the careers of such musical stars as Shirley Temple, Betty Grable, and Marilyn Monroe.

Robert W. Schneider and Shannon Agnew have edited a collection of guest essays that explore the creation and impact of Fifty Key Stage Musicals. This round-up of landmark shows that have altered the landscape of musical theater ranges from The Black Crook (1866), often identified as the first musical, to Tony winner Dear Evan Hansen (2016). Contributors include musical luminaries Stephen Mo Hanan, Rupert Holmes, Bruce Kimmel, and Bill Russell as well as noted musical theater critics and historians Peter Filichia, Thomas S. Hischak, Scott Miller, and Rick Pender.

In his memoir Facing the Music, music director and arranger David Loud recounts his “wildly entertaining and deeply poignant trek through the wilderness of his childhood and the edge-of-your-seat drama of a career on, in, under, and around Broadway,” including his struggles with Parkinson’s and his triumphs with an extraordinary cast of theater legends that includes Kander & Ebb, Angela Lansbury, Chita Rivera, Roger Rees, Marin Mazzie, Scott Ellis, Bock & Harnick, Garth Drabinsky, and Barbara Cook, among others. It is a remarkable love letter to musical theater.

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The Creative Process: Minnelli, Kander & Ebb

Posted on March 9, 2022 by boz

On March 11, in honor of John Kander’s and Liza Minnelli’s upcoming 95th and 76th birthdays this month, the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive of the New York Public Library for the Peforming Arts at Lincoln Center will present the institution’s 1974 interview with Minnelli, Kander, and Fred Ebb, as part of its ongoing series “The Creative Process.” In this rare gem, which has never been presented outside the walls of the library, the three musical theater icons discuss the development of their unusual and successful collaboration, beginning with their first stage collaboration: the 1965 musical Flora, the Red Menace (rehearsal photo at left by Friedman-Abeles), which marked Minnelli’s Broadway debut at age 19 and the first show with a score by Kander and Ebb. Below is a 1965 clip of Minnelli performing “Sing Happy” on The Ed Sullivan Show.

The three artists would subsequently work together on the film adaptation of Cabaret, the 1972 TV concert Liza with a Z, and the Broadway musicals The Act and The Rink. Produced by the Theatre on Film and Tape, the interview was recorded at the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center months before Minnelli replaced the ailing Gwen Verdon in the original production of Kander and Ebb’s Chicago. The program, which begins at 5:30 p.m. ET, will be captioned. To register for the free stream, visit Eventbrite. A link will be emailed two days before the event and again on the day of the program.

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