Murder Ballad @ Union Square Theatre

Back after its extremely successful run at Manhattan Theater Club, critically acclaimed Murder Ballad, finds its way downtown to the completely redesigned Union Square Theater where it holds an extended run thru the summer.

A love triangle gone wrong, Murder Ballad centers on Sara, an Upper West Sider who seems to have it all, but whose downtown past lingers enticingly and dangerously in front of her. This sexy, explosive new musical explores the complications of love, the compromises we make, and the betrayals that can ultimately undo us.

Three of the original cast members are reprising their original roles and Caissie Levy (Ghost: The Musical) replaces Karen Olivo in the role of Sara. Levy doesn't missed a beat, she brought strong emotion and the powerhouse voice that audiences have come to expect from her. Rebecca Naomi Jones (American Idiot) plays the Narrator, and she brings a creepy yet fun quality to this dark show. She was on stage the entire time and she really kept the audiences attention. Will Swenson (Priscilla Queen of the Desert) portrays bad boy Tom, the once lover of Sara. Swenson acts the hell out of this role, but his voice type didn't seem to fit the show. Lastly, John Ellison Conlee (The Full Monty) played Michael, Sara's current husband. Conlee bring a soothing warmth to the show and makes the audience fall in love with him.

Taking residence at Union Square Theater, this theatrical experience has completely alter the performing space to fit this show. Mark Wendland puts the audience smack dab in the middle of a bar, and turned this once proscenium space theater into a Theater in the Round. Audience members are encouraged to go an buy drinks for the bar where later the central action takes place. The lighting by Ben Stanton was so well controlled and full of color. Unfortunately as great as the space was, it seemed too big, which made this extremely intimate show, significantly less intimate. 

Murder Balled plays at the Union Square Theater until September 29th, 2013. This unique theater experience is not one to miss, so get a tickets, grab a beer and enjoy the trip. 

Spandex The Musical @ The 777 Theatre

             Feel the burn! Spandex: A New Musical for All Sizes brings the all of the energy, fast-paced music, and teased hair of competitive Aerobics of the late 80's to the New York stage. Inspired by the viral YouTube video of the 1987 Crystal Light National Aerobics Championship, hosted by Alan Thicke, Spandex tells the story of how the empowerment of a good aerobic workout can bring a shy housewife out of her shell, a former star back in the lime light, or even spark a romance.

           Tucked away in the Off Broadway 777 Theatre, Spandex is a hidden gem of musical comedy. Julian Blackmore and Daniel F. Levin's score is reminiscent of the infectious tunes of the late 1980's (days after seeing it, I still have the melody of the title song running through my head). The band, made of only three members, sat above the stage and became a part of the company themselves. From catchy pop tunes ("I Could Get Used to This") to tear-jerking ballads ("Now That You're Gone"), I found myself wanting to get up and dance along with the cast and wishing I had this soundtrack to take to the gym with me.

          Lis Piccoli's choreography blends intricate aerobic steps with dance to create something of a spectacle onstage (I'm looking at you, Circle Wheel of Push-ups), and it doesn't hurt that the cast are some of the strongest dancer-athletes I've seen in a long time. From start to finish, the cast succeeds in not only landing every step, but hitting every note at the same time, which is quite an impressive feat, considering that almost every song included jumps, leaps, lifts, or squats. Stand out performers include Sims Lamason as Aerobic Queen Lorraine (who boasts a life of a former gymnast herself), Jaquez Sims as Fitness Guru Trip Allen, and Paige Sommerer as the hilariously ambiguous Deacon Doekstra (I'm sorry-- Derk-stra). With most of the cast making their New York debuts, I can't wait to see what each and every one of these young performers' careers have in store.

            However, for how remarkable the talent aspects were, the production values itself fell as flat as your hair the day you run out of Aqua Net. For the amount of sponsors the show boasts, most notably Crunch Gym, I was hoping to see visuals that matched the content. The stage was painted half brown, half black, with a movable set of lockers with a bare-wood backing. A minimalist set is fine, but I would have liked to see the bright neons of the costumes matched on the set so as to create a world of The 1987 Crystal Light National Aerobics Championship, hosted by Alan Thicke for an audience to go to. This makes this hidden gem of musical comedy more of a diamond-in-the-rough.

            All in all, Spandex: a New Musical for All Sizes is a hilarious and original piece of musical theatre and deserves to be brought to a wider audience. 

Pippin @ The Music Box Theatre

                  

                 Just over 40 years after its original run, Pippin makes a colorful return to Broadway for 2013, with a fresh new look. Set in a circus tent, the production takes a magical new twist to the classic musical. With illusions, tricks, stunts, and acrobatics throughout the show, it is an experience that feels both relevant and modern. This new production pays homage to its roots, with choreographer Chet Walker (a cast member  of the 1972 production) recreating Fosse's original choreography. However it still feels fresh, current, and original with the addition of circus director Gypsy Snider's phenomenal visual feats. The Players are made of equal parts dancers and acrobats, so there is always something incredible and beautiful to look at onstage. It wouldn't be Pippin without the signature "Fosse style" of dance, which now almost looks like it was made to go alongside trapeze artists and contortionists.  "The Manson Trio," one of Fosse's most well known pieces of choreography, is recreated in its entirety, but now instead using male dancers behind the Leading Player. Every single moment contains outstanding visuals, with Players performing amazing acts unlike those seen on the Broadway stage before. Trapeze work, Aerial Silks, lifts, and flips are woven into the classic choreography to create beautiful imagery for the stage.   

               Pippin's main cast, made of both Broadway Mainstays and Newcomers, are what brings the production together as a whole. Matthew James Thomas(Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark) is an extremely likable Pippin. He brings a humble quirkiness to the character that makes one fall in love with him almost immediately, and  his pop-style vocals give an unique twist to Stephen Schwartz's score. He is just awkward enough that it is endearing, stumbling and stammering his way through the first act, and the audience bursts into cheers once Thomas reveals serious dance skills early in Act Two.  Although it is not a new concept, Patina Miller(Sister Act) shines as the Leader Player, a role usually portrayed by a man. She commands the stages from the moment the words "Join us" leave her lips at the top of the show. Miller's ease onstage is reminiscent of Ben Vereen's portrayal, with a graceful feminine twist as the circus' Ringmaster. She makes the perfect opposite to Thomas; the two work off of one another to create moments that are both humorous and intriguing, especially in the Act Two opener "On the Right Track." Husband-and-Wife Broadway veteran team Terrence Mann(Beauty and the Beast) and Christine d'Amboise(Carrie) portray King and Queen duo Charles and Fastrada. Mann brings wit to the usually dry role, and d'Amboise's dancing is captivating. Andrea Martin(Young Frankenstein) as Berthe is the stand out of the veteran cast; she steals the show during her song "No Time at All," bringing both some laughs as well as few surprises (which you need to see to believe!).

            What this revival achieves, and what sets it apart from most other productions, is that it has successfully made the entire show both enjoyable and entertaining. Songs that are usually not as favored by audiences, like "Extraordinary"  are now show-stoppers.  "Morning Glow," the Act One Finale, is more powerful than ever before. Each new song outdoes the last, which is no easy task. From the colorful set and costumes, to the strength of its cast, to Schwartz's classic score, Pippin is a production that is meant to be seen by all audiences, both young and old. It is a spectacle, to say the very least. Pippin is the kind of production that will make young audiences fall in love with live theatre, as well as remind seasoned theatergoers why they fell in love so long ago.

Review By: Kelcie Kosberg

Richard III: Born With Teeth @ The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theater

               

               Shakespeare's plays have been done all over New York and the world for as long as anyone can remember. Tired of the same old Shakespeare productions?The 15th-century English monarch Richard III is back in vogue after the discovery of his bones in a British parking lot last year. Epic Theatre Ensemble presents Richard III: Born With Teeth, a contemporary take on William Shakespeare's Richard III, at the Pershing Square Signature Center.

              The overall cast was made up of about ten actors playing a grand total of about thirty roles. James Wallert (Othello Off-Broadway) leads the cast as the title role of Richard III, the revenge seeking and crippled villain. Wallert sends shivers down the audience's spine every time he is hatching one of his devious plans although there was no way to that he was crippled until he took off his shirt, which is the driving forces of a lot of Richard's motives. Melissa Friedman (Much Ado About Nothing Off-Broadway) as Elizabeth, overall Friedman was very boring to watch and her scenes and monologues were very daunting to sit through. Lanna Joffrey (Measure for Measure at the Public) played the haunting peanut gallery Margaret. Something that was interesting about this production is that they brought Margaret into it and made her presence more then known. In the play previous to this one Margaret dies and leaves a curse and so her constant presence and flashbacks really made the action on stage really stand out. Joffrey took the stage and made sure the audience knew she was there with stealing attention, very haunting and creepy. Carra Paterson (Wit) played the lovely Lady Anne. Paterson had the audience rooting for her during the scene when Richard is hitting on her but she also had the audience feeling bad for her when everything turns around on her.

              Talk about theater on a budget and there was no way to hide it, but this team worked with what they had and it payed off. Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams did the set design, The set was a very pale grey consisting of some levels and two columns, making it easy for the locations and movement easy for the actors. Cat Tate Starmer did the very interesting light design. This contemporary interpretation relied heavily on the drastic light changes to pass time along with intense rock music from Ron Russell's intense sound design. Ron Russell also directed this interpretation and might have missed the bar ever so slightly with these design choice. Because of the fast changes and awkward movement, it made the play very hard to follow at some points.  

                So if you are looking for something new and dont want to sit through another same old long Shakespeare play check out Richard III: Born With Teeth, a contemporary take on William Shakespeare's Richard III, plays at the Pershing Square Signature Center until May 4th.

Orphans @ The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre

          

           "Orphans" was written in 1983 by Lyle Kessler, who grew up in Philadelphia and left when he was around 20 to pursue a career in acting, then branched out to write plays and screenplays, including a film version of "Orphans." The play has been widely performed -– Philadelphia Theatre Company was an early producer, a few years after its initial staging in Los Angeles -- but it has never appeared on Broadway until now.

            Two orphaned brothers are living in a decrepit North Philadelphia row house. Treat, the eldest, supports his damaged younger sibling by petty thievery, and makes the house a virtual prison for the seemingly simple-minded Phillip. One night he kidnaps a rich older man, Harold, who turns out to have his own motives and becomes the father figure the boys have always yearned for.

            In being such a small cast, this play needs three strong actors to really get into this rather confusing and intense play. Unfortuntly when casting, they missed the mark in more than one occasion. Alec Baldwin (TV's 30 Rock) played Harold, an ex-orphan who happened to find his own way and started a good life for himself and in the end becoming very wealthy. Its clear as to why Baldwin wanted to take on this role, it because its no different or challenging from any character that anyone has ever seen him play, which resulted in an extremely boring performance and some of the worst drunk acting to ever hit stage. Ben Foster played Treat, a violent and headstrong orphan who is taking care of his little brother Philip and Harold tries to help. Foster tries really hard to be frighting and intimidating but it was hard to believe that he had any kind of murderous bone in his body.After watching Baldwins and Fosters performance together, it was clear that maybe the director and producers replaced the wrong actor. Thank God for Tom Sturridge who portrayed Philip, Treats younger brother who has special needs and doesn't ever leave the house. Sturridge's performance was fun yet had warm heart felt notes behind it, clearly you don't have to be a big name to be good.

           Pretty much the full design team from Tony Award willing play Good People comes back together to get this production of the ground, unfortunately this time it was a swing and a miss. Daniel Sullivan(Good People) directed, and man was the action uncleared and unjustified, the space was used well but only because he had Tom Sturridge's jumping around everywhere. Also he didnt even have them use the most interesting part of  Jon Lee Beatty's(Good People) set which was the up stairs bedrooms, as soon as the curtain went up the audience was wondering whats going to happen up there? Well don't get your hopes up because its nothing. Between Beatty's set and Pat Philips (Good People) light's, this production had nothing visually pleasing to look at. A shame.

           ORPHANS is playing in a limited run through June 30, at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, on 45th Street near Eighth Avenue, New York City.