Putting Comedy Back In Musical Comedy

And so now the question must be posed: Is there any room left for Jews on Broadway?
Is there?
Inasmuch as a noted producer once opined that getting a hit on Broadway is "simply a matter of pleasing 900 Jews," this would seem to be an absurd question. After all, Jews pretty much invented the Broadway musical.
But today's Broadway is so insufferably woke, that we're forced to ask: Is there room for Borsht Belt humor? Would Neil Simon still feel at home? Will schtick still stick?
We certainly hope so.
Because Billy Crystal's new musical Mr. Saturday Night is, if nothing else, lovingly, hilariously and endearingly Jewish. But like corned beef and rye, you don't have to be Jewish to enjoy it. And, to be sure, this show may come kosher coated but it's a whole lot more than that.

The show is adapted from Crystal's 1992 movie of the same name which focuses on the rise and fall (and possible rise again) of Buddy Young Jr., a stand-up comic who's down on his luck. To be sure, Buddy's predicament isn't all a matter of luck. A lot of his misfortune is of his own making. For Buddy, the same bitingly insightful take on things that makes him funny on stage poses problems in real life. Maybe it's because he's a bit of a wise guy who seems to specialize in alienating those who might be able to help him most, including family member and close friends. But Buddy's now sensing that there's not much time left and he wants one more chance -- one more reach for the brass ring. For someone with an ego like Buddy's, accomplishing this without prostrating himself poses a problem.We saw the show a few days before its opening last night. While the original version was over three hours, it's been trimmed and is now crisp with rapid-fire punch lines and zippy tunes that convey some real meaning. It's not the Great American Musical and it's not Shakespeare either, nor does it pretend to be. It's played for fun but it's wonderfully human and poignant as well. There's a message here for everybody -- a message about family, hard work, endurance, struggle and facing life honestly and with a laugh.
Sadly, some of this may be lost on those with a social media attention span. But that's their loss and an unfortunate reflection on our current state of the affairs.
Simply put, no one on a Broadway stage right now is working harder or giving more of himself than Billy Crystal. And in this show he's at the top of his game in the grand tradition of so many show business troupers who came before him. And he generously pays homage to all of them. He's a grateful entertainer who loves the business and loves his audience.
What's more, this is an ensemble effort. The entire cast is superb -- David Paymer as his neglected brother, Randy Graff as his incredibly durable wife, Soshana Bean as his daughter, Chasten Harmon as his agent and Jordan Gelber, Brian Gonzales and Mylinda Hull as his longtime sidekicks.
At times you have to wonder why all these people hang in there for and with Buddy. But the Billy side of Buddy always comes through and how can you turn away from that?
THIS is entertainment. This is a star giving his all. This puts the comedy back into musical comedy. It's laugh-out-loud funny all the way.
If that's not enough for 'ya all we can say is ver farblondjet!

A Melodic, Ambitious, EPIC New Musical

It's not often that an epic musical arrives on Broadway, especially these days when production costs are higher than they've ever been.

But Paradise Square is exactly that -- epic! With a cast of 40, an orchestra almost as big, huge production numbers and a story that takes in a breathtaking sweep of history, this show is very ambitious. And, well it should be as it's brought to Broadway by Garth Drabinsky, the same man who gave us Ragtime. There are 24 musical numbers in Paradise Square set amidst a sprawling set that provides plenty of room for some of the most dazzling choreography (by Bill T. Jones) ever seen on Broadway, including lots of Irish step dancing. And the music by Jason Howard (with additional music by Larry Kirwan) is inspired in part by the great American songwriter Stephen Foster who happens to be a character in the show. 

Paradise Square is set downtown in New York in the era leading up to and including the Civil War. The action takes place around an intersection know as Five Points and much of it is through the eyes of the story's protagonist, played by Joaquina Kalukango. It purports to tell the story of racial harmony gone caput under the weight of war, strife, social pressures and outright hatred. At the core of the story are two interracial love affairs. 

In Paradise Square, as described by the producers themselves, "we meet the denizens of a local saloon: the indomitable Black woman who owns it; her Irish-Catholic sister-in-law and her Black minister husband; a conflicted newly arrived Irish immigrant; a fearless freedom seeker; an anti-abolitionist political boss, and a penniless songwriter trying to capture it all." These people have conflicting notions of what it means to be an American while living through one of the most tumultuous eras in our country’s history.

So much happens in this show that it becomes hard to explain it all and, invariably, hard to keep track of it all. Characters seem to come and go, slip in and out of the story and you almost need a sore card to stay abreast of it. But the voices are all excellent, the acting is compelling (even when it's a bit over the top), the music is often soaring and the stage (even though often dimly or darkly lit) seems to throb with an intensity that befits the subject matter. 

Holding it all together is Kalukango who certainly has the most powerful and commanding voice on Broadway today. When she sings Let It Burn (the ultimate 11 o'clock number) it quite literally brings the house down. This is Tony Award stuff! And there's also wonderful choral singing in the show which has moments that are nothing short of thrilling. There's an amalgamation of music and dance forms as cultures are thrown together in what is termed "an accidental society".

This show has been around in one form or another for quite some time. It premiered at the Berkeley Repertoire Theater in 2019 but the musical is based on Hard Times, originally conceived by Kirwan, which was originally presented at the intimate Off-Broadway theatre, Nancy Manocherian’s the cell, in 2012. There's been plenty of time to rework it and tighten it but it would take someone like George Abbott or Michael Bennet or Hal Prince to do that sort of tedious pruning. And none of them are around anymore.

And how do you gain control of a "square" with five points? So, just like this turbulent time in our history that it depicts, Paradise Square is a bit messy. But it's also provocative, captivating, melodic, vibrant, thought-provoking and riveting. And in an era when so many Broadway shows are tiny, tinny and seemingly deaf to melody, this is unquestionably worth seeing! 

Let's hope it finds an enthusiastic audience to spread its message far and wide.

Great Songs Emerge, Even From A Flop!

This is a real Golden Oldy from the glory days of Broadway. Enjoy!

Cabaret Like You've NEVER Seen It Before!

This is Amy Lennox performing in the new British productioin of Cabaret. 

I've seen several versions of this show but I've never seen anything like this. 

The number is performed by Lennox totally in character and in context: desperate, frentic, scary, poignant and hauting! 

Jessie Buckley starred in the show with Eddie Redmayne and both actors won Olivier Awards, the British equivalent of the Tony. We'll see if they bring this show to Broadway.

Live, On Stage: Hugh Jackman's Secret Fear!