Something Rotten at the Empress Theatre

I am a big fan of Something Rotten (it is full of references to William Shakespeare and musical theatre which means that it was pretty much written for me) so I was really excited to see it at the Empress Theatre last night. This now ranks as one of my favorite productions at this theater because I absolutely loved it! Nick and Nigel Bottom (Sonny Payne and Jonas Stone, respectively) are playwrights in London during the Renaissance but they are not having much success. Their patron, Lord Clapham (Stratford Healey), is withdrawing his financial support, Shylock (Raiden Yocom) is demanding the payment of a loan, Nick's wife Bea (Taylore Cahoon) is pregnant, and Nigel has fallen in love with Portia (Eliza White), the daughter of a Puritan (Taylor Brooks) who wants to shut down the theaters for debauchery, but, even worse, they are constantly overshadowed by the immensely popular William Shakespeare (Bradley Barker). They desperately need a big hit so Nick consults Nostradamus (Caden Terry) to see what will be popular in the future. Nostradamus suggests writing something with singing and dancing in my favorite number, "A Musical." Things go slightly awry when Nick asks Nostradamus to look into the future again to see what Shakespeare's most popular play will be and, instead of Hamlet, he sees omelette (so close!). Nick tries to produce Omelette: The Musical while Shakespeare tries to steal his play back. It is so much fun to try and spot all of the references to Shakespeare's plays (my favorites are Richard III in the song "Will Power" and a quote from The Merchant of Venice during the courtroom scene) and to musical theatre (my favorites are RENT and Les Miserables in "A Musical" and The Lion King in "Make an Omelette"). I laughed out loud every time I noticed something new (I was the only one laughing hysterically at a reference to Falstaff). This is one of the strongest casts I've seen at this theater with so many standout performances. I particularly loved Terry as Nostradamus because his physicality as he predicts the future is completely over the top, Barker as Shakespeare because he is such a rock star as a he struts around the stage for his adoring fans (his facial expressions killed me), and Brooks as Brother Jeremiah because his delivery of the innuendo-filled dialogue is hilarious! I also really liked Cahoon's voice and her rendition of "Right Hand Man" was a highlight for me. Another aspect of this production that is outstanding is the high-energy choreography, especially in "Welcome to the Renaissance," "A Musical" (which mimics the choreography from some well-known shows), "Bottom's Gonna Be on Top," and "Make an Omelette." I was really impressed by the dancing from the ensemble because they do an amazing job (I, of course, loved all of the tapping because it is always so fun to watch). The minimal set is very effective and the elaborate Renaissance costumes are fantastic! I cannot recommend this show enough because it is definitely a fun night out (go here for tickets). It runs Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through October 19.

My Old Ass

I enjoyed My Old Ass at Sundance this year so I was excited to see it again with my nephew (a big fan of Aubrey Plaza) at the Broadway last night.  He didn't like it as much as I thought he would but I loved this poignant (and often hilarious) coming of age story even more the second time.  Elliott Labrant (Maisy Stella) is restless and eager to leave her family's cranberry farm in rural Ontario for the excitement of attending university in the big city of Toronto.  She celebrates her eighteenth birthday by ingesting mushrooms while camping with her best friends Ro (Kerrice Brooks) and Ruthie (Maddie Ziegler) and, during a hallucination, she meets the 39-year-old version of herself (Plaza).  Older Elliott advises her to wear her retainer and moisturize, to treat her mom (Maria Dizzia), dad (Al Goulem), and brothers Max (Seth Isaac Johnson) and Spencer (Carter Trozzolo) better, and to avoid someone named Chad at all costs.  Elliott follows her advice and realizes that she has been taking her family for granted and that she should appreciate the time she has left with them before leaving but complications arise when she meets Chad (Percy Hynes White) and starts to fall in love with him.  Older Elliott contrives to visit her again to warn her that loving Chad will lead to heartbreak but her younger self teaches her a valuable lesson about being open to possibility.  I really loved the story because it is beguiling to think about what you might say to your younger self if given the chance.  Plaza is as humorous as ever with her usual deadpan delivery but she has a moment of vulnerability that is really affecting.  Stella is incredibly charismatic and she portrays all of the emotions her character experiences in a very natural and believable way (some scenes are heartwarming while others, including a hallucinogenic performance of "One Less Lonely Girl" by Justin Beiber, are laugh out loud funny).  She also matches Plaza's energy perfectly in their scenes together.  Finally, I loved seeing all of the beautiful scenery around Lake Joseph in Ontario (I am originally from Ontario) where the movie is set and was filmed.  This was an audience favorite at Sundance and one of the best coming of age movies I've seen in recent memory.  I highly recommend it!

Lee

Last night I went to see Lee at the Broadway because I will see any movie about World War II starring Kate Winslet!  It begins in 1977 with an unidentified young man (Josh O'Connor) interviewing the model turned photojournalist Elizabeth "Lee" Miller (Winslet) about about her experiences during the war.  At first she is somewhat recalcitrant but eventually describes, through flashbacks, meeting her future husband Roland Penrose (Alexander Skarsgard) while staying with her friend Solange D'Ayen (Marion Cotillard) in the south of France, moving with him to London, taking a job as a photographer working for Audrey Withers (Andrea Riseborough) at British Vogue, documenting the Blitz at the beginning of the war, fighting to be allowed to go to the front, and collaborating with fellow photographer David Scherman (Andy Samberg) to take photos of the Battle of St. Malo, the liberation of Paris, and the opening of the Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps.  She is traumatized by the horrors she sees at the camps but is even more frustrated by the fact that British Vogue refuses to publish her photos of what happened there and this eventually impacts her future relationships (which is shown when the identity of the man interviewing her is revealed).  Winslet is a brilliant actress and I read that she worked for nine years to get this movie made so it is definitely a passion project for her but I didn't like it as much as I thought I would because I didn't really connect to the character.  Miller is more concerned with telling the stories of her subjects than her own and Winslet portrays her with a stoicism (until an incredibly heartbreaking confession in the third act) that is probably accurate for the character but alienating for the audience.  My favorite performance is from, of all people, Samberg because his reaction to the camps as a Jew is very emotional.  I also really enjoyed seeing all of Miller's famous photos recreated throughout the movie and then shown next to the originals during the credits.  I was so excited to see this but, even though I didn't hate it, I ended up feeling a bit disappointed by how hollow it is.

Joker: Folie a Deux

I am a huge fan of Joker so I was really excited to see its sequel, Joker: Folie a Deux, at an early access screening in IMAX with my nephew last night.  Unfortunately, it was a mixed bag for me (and a big miss for my nephew).  Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is now a prisoner at Arkham State Hospital where he is taunted by an abusive guard named Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson).  He meets fellow patient Harleen "Lee" Quinzel (Lady Gaga), who is obsessed with him, during a music therapy class and they often retreat into a world of fantasy to cope with the grim reality of their situation.  However, Fleck's trial is looming large and the newly elected district attorney Harvey Dent (Harry Lawley) is seeking the death penalty.  His lawyer Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener) wants to use an insanity defense arguing that Fleck created the Joker as a completely separate personality in order to cope with the abuse he suffered all of his life and that it was the Joker, not Fleck, who committed the crimes.  However, Lee is enamored with the Joker 's celebrity and views him as a hero to the downtrodden of Gotham so Fleck thinks he should embrace the Joker persona to impress her.  The visuals are gorgeous (I loved the use of silhouettes) and the score by Hildur Gudnadottir, which is haunting and melancholy, really adds to the atmosphere.  I also really enjoyed the musical dream sequences (my favorite is "Gonna Build a Mountain" in the club where Fleck suffered his greatest humiliation) because they allow Fleck to fully express himself as the Joker.  Phoenix and Gaga are incredibly compelling as broken people who enable each other's madness and I was particularly impressed with how Gaga changes her vocal performance from hesitant as Lee to powerful as Harley Quinn.  My biggest problem is that the narrative takes a big swing by allowing the Joker to take center stage but then it doesn't commit to it in the third act (a recurring problem with many movies this year).  The ending, particularly the final scene between Fleck and Lee, returns to the theme that Arthur is merely a victim of societal decay, which is already thoroughly explored in the first movie, thus making this sequel completely unnecessary because it doesn't ultimately add anything new to the character.  It is very disappointing because the set up is there (my nephew explained how it should have ended and, honestly, I would have rather seen his edit).  Ugh!  There are elements that make this worth seeing but I think a lot of people might be disappointed with it.

The Woman in Black at Parker Theatre

I was so excited for The Woman in Black at Parker Theatre last night because I had never seen it before (despite the fact that it is the second longest running play in the West End after The Mousetrap). It is based on the Gothic horror novel of the same name by Susan Hill but it has a really clever twist. It is also incredibly scary because I almost jumped out of my seat at one point (I'm surprised I didn't scream). Arthur Kipps (Michael Hohl) is still traumatized by an encounter with an apparition that he had many years ago while settling the estate of Alice Drablow at a desolate and secluded mansion. He believes that he can rid himself of the nightmares that plague him by telling the story publicly on stage so he hires an Actor (Lucas Charon) to help him. The Actor convinces him that it would be better to act out the story rather than recite it from a manuscript so they begin rehearsing in a Victorian theatre using minimal props, realistic sound cues, and imaginative light design.  The Actor portrays a younger version of Kipps while he portrays all of the other characters and narrates the play. The action on stage shows Kipps attending Drablow's funeral, traveling to her house in an old-fashioned pony and trap, working alone in the eerie house, and witnessing unsettling events including the appearance of a strange figure dressed in black. They stop in between scenes to discuss their performances and, during one such break, Kipps promises a surprise. The Actor interprets this to mean that Kipps hired the actress who suddenly appears on stage as the woman in black. The action concludes when the young Kipps discovers the identity of the mysterious figure and when the Actor makes a startling realization about the actress portraying her. I absolutely loved the stagecraft used to create an unsettling atmosphere because it is amazing what just the sound of a door creaking or the appearance of shadows on a scrim can do to the imagination. The woman in black only appears a few times (one of those times was when she seemed to come from nowhere to stand right next to me in the aisle) and this is incredibly effective because it was terrifying every time I thought I saw her in the shadows. Charon's performance does much to add to the unease because his terror is palpable, especially when his only source of light is a torch in the almost pitch black darkness of the marsh. I was also quite impressed with how seamlessly Hohl inhabits all of the characters he plays with just a simple change of costume right on stage. This is one of the scariest shows I've ever seen (and I loved being scared) so it is perfect for this spooky season! It runs on Fridays and Saturdays through November 2 (go here for tickets).