As we begin a new decade, I look back at my past decade of theatre-going and pick my top 10 favorite plays and musicals.
All tagged David Yazbek
"Hadestown" tops the Outer Critics Circle Awards; David Bryne headed to Broadway with "American Utopia"; "My Fair Lady" to close July 7th; "Oklahoma!" and "Tootsie" to tour; City Center Encores! Off Center's "Working" cast announced; "Back to the Future" musical coming to the West End; Andrew Lloyd Webber previews his “Cinderella”; Elton John and Jake Shears working on a Tammy Faye Bakker bio-musical; "The Lion King" welcomes its one hundred millionth audience member; "To Kill a Mockingbird" is the highest grossing American play ever
"The Ferryman" and "What the Constitution Means to Me" are New York Drama Critics Circle’s best plays; "Carmen Jones" tops the Lortel Awards; Broadway.com "Audience Choice" award nominees; "Jagged Little Pill" books Broadway's Broadhurst; Diane Paulus to direct a 2021 Broadway revival of "1776"; "All My Sons" extends; Vanessa Carlton to make Broadway debut in "Beautiful"; "The Prince of Egypt" to open in London; "Pretty Woman" to tour; Roundabout to present Adam Gwon's musical "Scotland, PA"; RIP Harlan Bengel, David Winters, Terry Allen Kramer, and Dave Bova
REVIEW: “Tootsie” is both fun and fraught
“Tootsie” is a mixed bag. A well-constructed, cheerful, and funny musical comedy with a suite of magnetic performances, it has a confused tone, disconnected visual and aural sensibility, and next to nothing smart to say about gender despite gender playing such a central role in the plot. It exists in no consistent reality, and leaves many circles left un-squared.
Bebe Neuwirth and Brandon Victor Dixon to announce the Tony Award nominations on April 30th; Sutton Foster will star in the 2020 Broadway revival of "The Music Man"; Disney to produce a musical adaption of "The Princess Bride" with a score by David Yazbek and a book by Rick Elice and Bob Martin; Second Stage Theater announces 5 out of 7 shows for the 2019-2020 season; the 2018 Broadway revival of "Angels in America" to receive audio recording; "Alice by Heart" records a cast album; Alexander Gemignani replaces Danny Burstein in "My Fair Lady"; TLC musical in development; new film adaptation of “Guys and Dolls” in the works; North Bergen High School production of "Alien: The Play" makes a splash
"Carousel" closing September 16th; “Tootsie” books the Marquis; "Network" to play the Cort; all female revival of "Glengarry Glen Ross" coming to Broadway next May; Michael C. Hall will star in "Thom Pain (Based on Nothing)"; "Pipeline" to play select cinemas; "Once on This Island" wins Equity award for diversity; trans actor Kate Bornstein responds to heckling; list of the most produced high school musicals and plays; producer John Glines dead at 84
FEATURE: Top 10 Favorite Shows of 2017
I attended some 188 performances of theatre, dance, music, opera, and cabaret in New York during 2017. As the year comes to a close, here are my top 10 favorites.
REVIEW: “The Band’s Visit”—An intimately bold and beautiful new musical
“The Band’s Visit” by David Yazbek and Itamar Moses is an intimately bold and beautiful new musical that is unlike any you’ve seen before; a quiet celebration of the human spirit and the power of music, culture, and humor to connect us all, this show breaks the mold in fascinating and unexpected ways that are deeply moving and satisfying. Do not miss this perfect musical.