ROBIN'S SHOW REVIEW: BORN YESTERDAY

                                                       

                                     (photo by Carol Rosegg)

Emmy® nominee JIM BELUSHI, Tony® winner ROBERT SEAN LEONARD and NINA ARIANDA star in the Broadway revivial of BORN YESTERDAY, Garson Kanin’s 1946 award-winning romantic comedy about sex and politics.

Directed by Tony® winner Doug Hughes (Doubt), it’s the timeless and timely story of a not-so-dumb-blonde, her less-than-honest brute of a boyfriend, and the no-nonsense reporter who helps her uncover some of the dirtiest little secrets in Washington.

Nina Arianda, who received raves for her previous work in Off-Broadway's Venus in Fur, plays Billie, a character originated by Judy Holliday (on stage and film). Jim Belushi ("The Defenders," "The World According to Jim") plays Harry Brock, Billie's longtime brutish boyfriend who hires, Paul, a journalist, played by Robert Sean Leonard (TV's "House" and Broadway's Invention of Love), to make Billie a wiser and worldly gal. 

Harry and his posse have moved temporarily into a swanky hotel in Washington, DC, to cut some deals with a senator so he can expand his thriving junk metal business. While you don't always know exactly what he and his lawyer are plotting or lobbying for, there are frequent meetings at all hours and papers being signed, even by Billie, until she wises up and boldly confronts Harry, after he slaps her around.

In Billie, Harry ultimately gets more than he bargained for, and Arianda plays the part for all it's worth.  She rises to the occasion with toughness, humor and tenderness.  Not only does she look the part of the slinky, blonde babe, but from the moment she appears on stage, you have a sense she is a source to be reckoned with, and that you are watching a star in the making.  She is delectable!

Belushi, who has a strong stage presence, does a good job as a tough guy, mobster-type who bullies Billie, and Leonard is a capable Paul who ably takes Billie under both his academic and amourous wing.  There is a chemistry between the threesome, and to watch them in action is like observing fine-tuned sparring partners.

Born Yesterday is at the Cort Theatre, 138 W. 48th Street, NYC. Tony Award winner Frank Wood, Tony nominees Terry Beaver and Michael McGrath, Patricia Hodges, Fred Arsenault, Bill Christ, Jennifer Regan, Liv Rooth, Danny Rutigliano, Andrew Weems and Robert Emmet Lunney round out the cast. Wood won a Tony for Side Man, Beaver was Tony-nominated for The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Hodges appeared in A Man for All Seasons and McGrath was Tony-nominated for Spamalot.

Born Yesterday is produced by Philip Morgaman, Anne Caruso/Vincent Caruso, Frankie J. Grande, James P. MacGilvray, Brian Kapetanis.
The scenic design  (the set is gorgeous!) for Born Yesterday is by John Lee Beatty; costume design is by Catherine Zuber; lighting design is by Peter Kaczorowski; original music/sound design is by David Van Tieghem; hair/wig design is by Tom Watson; casting is by Jay Binder and Jack Bowdan; fight direction is by J. David Brimmer; and the production stage manager is Tripp Phillips.

The performance schedule is Tuesday at 7 PM; Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM; Wednesday and Saturday at 2 PM; Sunday at 3 PM. There is no performance on Thursday, June 16; and Friday, June 17; and there will be added performances on Monday, June 13 at 8 PM; and Sunday, June 19 at 7:30 PM. The performance on Sunday, June 12 will be at 2 PM.

Tickets are $26.50-$121.50 and may be purchased by visiting http://www.telecharge.com/ or by phoning (212) 239-6200 or (800) 432-7250. For more information about Born Yesterday, visit bornyesterdayonbroadway.com.

ROBIN'S SHOW REVIEW - THE ADDAMS FAMILY

THE ADDAMS FAMILY, based on the bizarre and beloved family of characters created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams, opened on Broadway March 8th at the Lunt-Fontaine Theatre in NYC.

I had the opportunity to see it this week.

The cast, led by Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, are oozing with talent.  As you can imagine, there are lots of  laughs and sight gags.  I loved the special effects ...Uncle Fester flying to the moon, their huge pet sqiud embracing an overnight guest, etc. The set was as I would have imagined....very impressive....grand staircases, cob webs, fiendish-looking works of art, and all.

Back in the day, I was a HUGE fan of THE ADDAMS FAMILY television series, and this was a welcome trip down memory lane. I would have loved more singing and dancing from Ms. Neuwirth, and Terrence Mann (who I adore) and Carolee Carmello (beautiful voice) are underutilized, but it was fun to see them rubbing tickle bones with Mr. Lane, who was in rare, if not somewhat over the top form.  At times, it was like watching The Nathan Lane Show, and since I enjoy him, that's not all bad.  There was just so much talent on stage, even from the supporting cast of white-faced ghouls, that I would have welcomed a more shared spotlight.

Standouts for me were Jackie Hoffman as tart-tongued Grandma and Kevin Chamberlin as feisty Uncle Fester.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY was named Favorite New Broadway Musical of the 2009-10 season by Broadway.com’s 11th Annual Audience Awards, receiving more than 100,000 votes from theater-goers. The show also received three additional awards: Favorite On Stage Pair (Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth); Favorite Featured Actor in a Musical (Kevin Chamberlin) and Favorite Break-through Performance (Krysta Rodriguez....who plays Wednesday).

The show features an original story....every parent's nightmare. Your little girl has become a young woman, and she's fallen head over heals in love with an endearing, smart young man from a respectable family. Yes, Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has a “normal” boyfriend, and for parents Gomez and Morticia, it's a shocking development that turns the Addams house upside down when they host a dinner for Wednesday's beau man and his parents.  Wednesday yearns longingly for one "normal" night, to win over her boyfriend's folks, and it turns into anything but, especially when they wind up spending the night.  (I don't want to tell you how it all plays out.....)

It features a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, and music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa. The production is directed and designed (sets and costumes) by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch, with creative consultation by Jerry Zaks and choreography by Sergio Trujillo. Lighting design is by Natasha Katz, sound design by Acme Sound Partners and puppetry by Basil Twist.

In a prolific career spanning six decades, Charles Addams created several thousand cartoons, sketches and drawings, many of which were published in The New Yorker. But it was his creation of characters that came to be known as The Addams Family that brought Addams his greatest acclaim. With a unique style that combined the twisted, macabre and just plain weird with charm, wit and enchantment, Addams’ drawings have entertained millions worldwide and served as the inspiration for multiple television series and motion pictures.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY is produced on Broadway by Stuart Oken, Roy Furman, Michael Leavitt, Five Cent Prods., Stephen Schuler, Decca Theatricals, Scott M. Delman, Stuart Ditsky, Terry Allen Kramer, Stephanie P. McClelland, James L. Nederlander, Eva Price, Jam Theatricals/Mary Lu Roffe, Pittsburgh CLO/Gutterman-Swinsky, Vivek Tiwary/Gary Kaplan, The Weinstein Co./Clarence, LLC and Adam Zotovich/Tribe Theatricals, by special arrangement with Elephant Eye Theatrical.

For more information on THE ADDAMS FAMILY, visit http://www.theaddamsfamilymusical.com/.

ROBIN'S SHOW RECOMMENDATION: MEMPHIS

I recently had the opportunity to see MEMPHIS, the hit Broadway musical, on a "date" night with my husband, and we both thoroughly enjoyed.  If you're looking for a rousing night out, I highly recommend it.

MEMPHIS stars Tony nominee Chad Kimball (Huey) and Tony Nominee Montego Glover (Felicia) with Derrick Baskin (Gator), J. Bernard Calloway (Delray), James Monroe Iglehart (Bobby), Michael McGrath (Mr. Simmons), and Cass Morgan (Mama).

The critically acclaimed show won four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score (David Bryan and Joe DiPietro), Best Book (Joe DiPietro), and Best Orchestrations (David Bryan and Daryl Waters). It also won four Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Performance by an Actress (Montego Glover), Outstanding Music (David Bryan) and Outstanding Orchestration (David Bryan and Daryl Waters)....and four Outer Critic Circle Awards including Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Score (David Bryan & Joe DiPietro), Outstanding Actress (Montego Glover) and Outstanding Choreography (Sergio Trujillo).

MEMPHIS takes place in the smoky halls and underground clubs of the segregated 50’s, where a young white DJ named Huey Calhoun (Chad Kimball) fell in love with everything he shouldn’t: rock and roll and an electrifying black singer (Montego Glover). MEMPHIS is an original story about the cultural revolution that erupted when his vision met her voice, and the music changed forever.  It's heartfelt, spirited, engaging and just plain fun.  The cast is terrific.

The show, playing at the Shubert Theatre in NYC, features a brand new score with music by Bon Jovi’s founding member and keyboardist David Bryan and lyrics by Bryan and Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change), who also pens the musical’s book.

MEMPHIS will launch a U. S. national tour in Memphis, TN, beginning in October, 2011.  Additional cities, dates and casting will be announced at a later date.
Tickets range from $41.50 to $131.50 (including a $1.50 facility fee). The performance schedule is as follows: Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday – Saturday evenings at 8pm, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2pm, and Sundays at 3pm. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.Telecharge.com or call 212.239.6200.

MEMPHIS is produced on Broadway by Junkyard Dog Productions, Barbara and Buddy Freitag and Kenny and Marleen Alhadeff with Latitude Link, Jim and Susan Blair, Demos Bizar Entertainment, Land Line Productions, Apples and Oranges Productions, Dave Copley, Dancap Productions, Inc., Alex and Katya Lukianov, Tony Ponturo, 2 Guys Productions, and Richard Winkler in association with Lauren Doll, Eric and Marsi Gardiner, Linda and Bill Potter, Broadway Across America, Jocko Productions, Patty Baker, Dan Frishwasser, Bob Bartner/Scott and Kaylin Union, Loraine Boyle/Chase Mishkin, Remmel T. Dickinson/Memphis Orpheum Group and ShadowCatcher Entertainment/Vijay and Sita Vashee.

For more information, visit http://www.memphisthemusical.com/