Oh, how I wish that other mistress in my life - law school - didn't consume my time so extensively. Even if I still have time to see a show like every night and write two theater reviews, it definitely cuts back on the amount of time I have to write on the blog. So let's go over some stuff I've been waiting to write about here.
ENTER LAUGHING: THE MUSICAL/SO LONG, 174TH STREET - Again, another fantastic Musicals in Mufti staging at the York. It's come to the point where this series, spite of its low-key manner, is seriously starting to rival the quality of Encores. I recommend these staged readings without hesitation.
METROPOLITAN OPERA SHOWS - My review of LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR will run Tuesday, but I've also recently attended AIDA and ROMEO AND JULIET. What else can compare the grand-scale of their revivals?
THE BOYFRIEND - this marked the third Musicals Tonight! staging I've seen, following a totally obscure Rodgers & Hart show three years ago (THE BOYFRIEND) and a totally obscure Cole Porter show two years ago (LET IT RIDE!). Unlike those, THE BOYFRIEND, a 1950s parody of a 1920s musical comedy, still plays very well today. I was in a high school production of the show exactly eight years ago, so I have quite an affinity for it. I saw the last performance on Sunday afternoon, which will be immediately followed by a Musicals Tonight staging of Victor Herbert's NAUGHTY MARIETTA. It was a very well-done staging, and it's a shame it received so little attention in the press.
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC - I've seen quite a number of college productions at NYU's Steinhardt School - CHORUS LINE, PARADE, INTO THE WOODS, MERRILY, URINETOWN and RAGTIME. If not RAGTIME, this was probably the best thing I've seen there. The Steinhardt school specializes in vocal performance, so NIGHT MUSIC was truly the perfect show for these students. The full orchestra was onstage and sounded perfect. It was a truly handsome production of the one 1970s Sondheim show that's yet to receive a Broadway revival.
FORBIDDEN BROADWAY - this will receive a print review next week, but just wanted to note how refreshing it is to attend the freshest revival of Gerard Alessandrini's long-running brilliant parody of the Great White Way.