Come From Away at PTC

I love the musical Come From Away so much and I have yet to make it through a performance without crying. While the tears flowed once again when I saw it at PTC last night, there were elements of the production that I didn't like. U.S. airspace is restricted in the immediate aftermath of the attacks on 9/11 so 38 international flights without enough fuel to return to their city of origin must be diverted to the airport in the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland, Canada. The nearly 7,000 stranded passengers almost double the population of Gander but the ordinary townspeople rise to the extraordinary occasion and willingly do whatever they can to provide transportation (which involves the temporary resolution of a contentious strike by bus drivers), food (which involves the suspension of all hockey games to use the ice rink to refrigerate perishables), clothing, shelter, and comfort. An ensemble cast of fourteen play multiple roles, often with just the addition of an article of clothing or prop, to provide the perspectives of both the townspeople and the so-called plane people. Their interactions will restore your faith in humanity, especially when a local woman named Beulah (Mary Fanning Driggs) comforts a passenger named Hannah (Galyana Castillo) when she cannot locate her firefighter son in NYC and when another local named Annette (Jessica Rush) allows Ali (Nathan Andrew Riley), a Muslim passenger who has come under suspicion, to use the library to pray. I also loved it when Bonnie (Angie Schworer), an SPCA worker, sneaks on a plane to give comfort to the animals abandoned on board, including a pregnant bonobo chimpanzee. Everyone is forever changed by the experience and I was, as always, incredibly moved by the powerful messages about compassion, community, and the indomitable human spirit. I love every song in the show but I particularly enjoyed hearing "Prayer," because it incorporates elements from multiple religions to provide a beautiful message of comfort and it always makes me cry, "Screech In," because it is a hilarious ceremony to become an honorary Newfoundlander involving copious amounts of alcohol and a codfish and it always makes me laugh out loud, and "Something's Missing" because it accurately describes the often jarring return to normal life after an intense experience and it always makes me long for the unity felt right after the attacks (especially with all of the division in the U.S. currently). I was also impressed by the performances because the cast does a great job differentiating between all of the characters. The standout for me was Rush because her rendition of "Me and the Sky" gave me goosebumps. What was missing from this production for me was the nostalgia for my native land that this show usually evokes. I especially disliked the set because it is too cold, sleek, and modern in my opinion. It is devoid of all of the quirky charm found in the original Broadway production and there are no visual references to Canada (where are the neon Tim Horton's and Molson Canadian signs?). Also, I don't know what dialect the townspeople are trying to speak but they didn't sound like any Canadian I know. I appreciate that they did try to say Newfoundland like a local but it didn't sound right to my ears because the emphasis should be on the third syllable rather than the second. I recognize that I might be the only one who cares but this production is so nondescript that it could have taken place anywhere and that really bothered this Canadian expat. Even though I didn't love this particular version, I still highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) because the show itself is definitely worth seeing and it is sure to warm even the most cynical heart. It runs through May 9.

Once on This Island at The Ruth

The last show I saw before Covid shut everything down was PTC's production of Once on This Island.  I loved this retelling of The Little Mermaid with Caribbean flair so I was very excited when The Ruth announced it as part of the 2026 season, especially since it is not done very often.  I saw it last night and I think I loved it even more than PTC's version!  A Little Girl (Nahla Fernelius) who lives on an island in the French Antilles is frightened by a storm so a group of Storytellers tell her about another girl on the island who once survived a storm to comfort her. This girl is a peasant named Ti Moune (Blythe Snowden) and she is rescued by Asaka, Mother of the Earth (Aria Love Jackson); Agwe, God of Water (Yahosh Bonner); Erzulie, Goddess of Love (Anya Sulimoni); and Papa Ge, Demon of Death (Beatriz Melo), then adopted by Mama Euralie (Koryn Sobel) and Tonton Julian (Oba Bonner).  She believes that she was saved for a reason and, as she grows up, she prays for the gods to reveal her destiny.  The gods decide to intervene again and, when a grand homme (a descendant of the original French plantation owners and their slaves) named Daniel Beauxhomme (JRay Kuhn) is injured in a car crash as a result, Ti Moune falls in love with him even though a relationship between a peasant and a grand homme is forbidden.  When the gods intervene yet again, Ti Moune sacrifices herself for love but her sacrifice ultimately brings the peasants and the grands hommes together and this is why they tell her story.  I loved the message about the power of love and the power of storytelling to unite a community divided by race and class because it is, unfortunately, very relevant at the moment.  I also really loved the percussive Caribbean music (I am strangely obsessed with steel drums), especially the songs "And the Gods Heard Her Prayer," "Rain," "Pray," "Forever Yours," "Mama Will Provide," "The Human Heart," "Some Girls," and "Why We Tell the Story." The entire cast is outstanding but I was particularly struck by Melo because she is so expressive and fun to watch and Snowden because her singing and dancing are lovely and her performance is incredibly emotional. The choreography by Izzy Arrieta (one of my favorite local choreographers) is an integral part of the storytelling and it is lively, energetic, and absolutely captivating.  The costumes feature vibrant colors and patterns and the set, which divides the stage into the beach (it is made of real sand and water) occupied by the peasants and the multi-level plantations occupied by the grands hommes, just might be my favorite at The Ruth (I loved all of the tropical flowers on stage and all around the theater).  This is a beautiful and powerful show that should not be missed (go here for tickets).  It runs in the Lindsay Legacy Theater through July 3.

Note:  One of my earliest memories as a child is seeing a group playing the steel drums on a street corner in Toronto.  I have loved them ever since.

Eugene Onegin at The Met

I really want to attend an opera at The Met (now that I have seen an NHL playoff game this is at the top of my bucket list) but, until I can make that happen, I decided the next best thing would be to see a live transmission of a production on the big screen.  I have just been waiting for an opera that I love and, when I learned that The Met was programming Eugene Onegin this season, I immediately got a ticket and went to see it yesterday.  I fell in love with this opera when I saw a production by Utah Opera in 2000 (I have been waiting for them for them to program it again ever since).  The novel upon which it is based by Alexander Pushkin is one of my favorite pieces of Russian literature and I think you all know how I feel about the composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky so I couldn't help but love it.  Tatiana (Asmik Grigorian) is a young girl who longs for the kind of romance she finds in novels but her carefree sister Olga (Maria Barakova), who is engaged to their neighbor Lenski (Stanislas de Barbeyrac), tells her to stop dreaming and enjoy life.  When Lenski brings the wealthy and aristocratic Eugene Onegin (Iurii Samoilov) to their estate in the country for a visit, Tatiana falls passionately in love with him.  She spends a sleepless night pining for him then impulsively writes a letter expressing her feelings and has it delivered to him at dawn.  Onegin is a man of the world who refuses to be limited by marriage so he coldly rejects her and lectures her about her impetuosity.  Several months later, Lenski and Onegin attend Tatiana's name day celebration but Onegin is bored with country life and recklessly flirts with Olga, who momentarily falls under his spell, to distract himself.  Lenski feels betrayed by his friend and demands satisfaction.  When Onegin tries to reconcile, Lenski is unmoved and the duel proceeds with tragic results.  Several years later, Onegin is tormented by remorse for killing his friend and wanders aimlessly abroad.  Upon his return to St. Petersburg, he attends a ball given by Prince Gremin (Alexander Tsymbalyuk) and is surprised to learn that Tatiana is his wife.  As Gremin describes his happiness with Tatiana, Onegin realizes that he loves her and contrives to meet with her privately.  He begs her to forgive him for his mistake in refusing her but she is now a woman of the world with a prominent position in society and, even though she still loves him, she leaves him in despair.  This production is breathtaking with emotional performances that are absolutely riveting. Grigorian is a world-renowned soprano known for her dramatic and immersive interpretations of complex characters and her rendition of the famous Letter Scene did not disappoint.  She portrays so many different emotions (infatuation, longing, passion, exhilaration, vulnerability, fear, shame, and desperation) that I had goosebumps!  I love Tchaikovsky's music in this scene and The Met Orchestra, under the baton of Timur Zangiev, also infuses different moods into the repeating melody.  Barbeyac gives a beautiful and heartbreaking performance of the aria "Where have you gone, O golden days of my spring" as he hopes that Olga will remember him when he is dead and the juxtaposition between Samoilov's aloof rendition of "If I had wanted to limit my life to the family circle" and his desperation in "Is this the same Tatiana" is incredibly striking, especially when his voice falters from the intense emotion in the latter.  The staging is very dynamic, particularly the choreography for the folk dances at the harvest celebration, the waltzes at Tatiana's name day celebration, and the stylized promenade at the ball.  The sets are much more minimal than I was expecting considering the size of the stage but I loved the snow-covered trees and the sunrise projection used during the duel.  I have to admit that it felt odd eating popcorn at an opera but I loved this and will definitely see another live transmission at my local movie theater (go here for upcoming performances).

Note:  The cameras went backstage during the pauses and intermissions and I was impressed with the sheer number of people needed for the scene changes and how efficiently they worked (especially by how fast they covered the stage in snow which was rivaled only by how fast they removed it).

The Devil Wears Prada 2

Last night my sister and I went to see a Thursday preview of The Devil Wears Prada 2 and, as big fans of the original, we liked it but didn't love it.  Since leaving Runway magazine, Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) has become a respected and award-winning journalist but she is unceremoniously fired by text from the newspaper she works for when it folds.  Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) is having her own problems at Runway because she allowed an article praising a brand that uses sweatshop labor to be published.  The chairman, Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman), thinks that Andy will bring respectability back to the magazine and offers her the position of features editor.  She accepts because she now needs a job, much to Miranda's chagrin, but she finds things very different at Runway.  Nigel Kipling (Stanley Tucci) explains that Miranda has had to tone down her imperiousness to appease HR (in some hilarious scenes involving her new assistant played by Simone Ashley) as well as advertisers, including Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt) who now works at Dior, but she is surprised at Miranda's passive acceptance when Irv's son Jay (B.J. Novak) succeeds him as chairman and proposes new draconian cutbacks (including flying economy class to Italy).  However, Andy eventually inspires her to fight back when a tech billionaire (Justin Theroux) attempts to buy the magazine from Jay for nefarious reasons during Milan Fashion Week.  I really liked the commentary on the current state of journalism and the importance of keeping it alive because it makes the sequel relevant rather than mere fan service but, having said that, a Miranda resigned to the ever-changing media landscape for most of the runtime is not as much fun (I prefer the imperious Miranda).  That is not to say that there isn't a lot of fun to be had because it includes lots of buzzy cameos from fashion designers, models, and celebrities (my favorite was Lady Gaga), fabulous clothes, luxurious locations, and amusing call-backs to the original (a reference to using florals for spring made me laugh out loud).  While I do think that there are a lot of extraneous characters and subplots, I have to admit that I enjoyed seeing Streep, Hathaway, Blunt, and Tucci do what they do best and I liked their character development, especially the relationship between Miranda and Nigel.  This is good but not quite as good as the first movie.

I Swear

After Robert Aramayo won the BAFTA for his performance as a young man with Tourette syndrome in the movie I Swear, I hoped that it would eventually come to the Broadway.  I was able to see it there last night with my nephew and I found it both funny (which I wasn't expecting) and heartwarming.  John Davidson (Scott Ellis Watson) is a young teen living in Scotland when he suddenly develops tics and episodes of uncontrollable swearing just as he begins high school.  This leads to problems at school, for which he is ultimately expelled, and at home, which causes his father David (Steven Cree) to leave.  Everyone around him believes that he is faking his symptoms for attention and he eventually becomes so distraught that he attempts suicide.  Thirteen years later, John (Aramayo) has been diagnosed with Tourette's, is heavily medicated, and is still living with his exasperated mother Heather (Shirley Henderson) who is embarrassed by him.  His former childhood friend Murray Achenbach (Francesco Piacentini-Smith) invites him home for dinner and, when he predictably causes a scene, Murray's mother Dottie (Maxine Peake), a mental health nurse, decides to take him under her wing.  She invites him to live with her family, slowly weans him off his medication, and finds him a job working at a community center with Tommy Trotter (Peter Mullan).  When an episode at a nightclub leads to a fight for which he is arrested, Tommy speaks passionately on his behalf in court and blames John's problems on a lack of awareness about Tourette's rather than the condition itself.  This inspires John to work to inform schools, hospitals, police departments, and other organizations about how to support individuals with Tourette's which eventually leads to an MBE (in a hilarious scene with the Queen).  This is based on a true story and it features all of the usual biopic tropes but it is elevated by an absolutely brilliant performance from Aramayo that kept me riveted.  I was also very impressed by Watson's affecting performance, especially when he is forced to eat dinner away from the family.  I really loved that Davidson's story is told with humor and an emphasis on the need for understanding.  This is epitomized by my favorite scene in which John meets with a young girl who has Tourette's and they both engage in escalating tics and outbursts (which made me laugh out loud) until they both realize how powerful it is to interact with someone else who has the same condition (which brought tears to my eyes).  The best thing I can say about this movie is that it gave me a lot more empathy for people with this condition (especially in light of what happened with Davidson at the BAFTA awards ceremony) and I highly encourage everyone to see it.