Broadway Musical Recommendations Tailored Just for YOU

Wondering what show you should see tonight (or next week)? Here’s Shari on the Aisle’s guide to help you decide which Broadway musical(s) to see right now, based on your personal preferences. Read the “YOU” descriptions below, choose the one that best represents you, then go see a show!

Keep in mind: this list is far from exhaustive. With the Broadway Spring season well under way, there are abundant choices for both the occasional and frequent theatregoer. The following suggestions are culled from some of the newest shows. You should also consider productions that have been around for a while—those oldies but goodies like “Matilda,” “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” “Aladdin,” and “Kinky Boots.” (Also keep in mind that Shari on the Aisle hasn’t yet seen all of the new shows, including “Finding Neverland” and “An American in Paris.”

(Stay tuned: I will provide personalized play recommendations in my next post).

YOU: “I want to see a show that has me whistling a happy tune when I leave the theatre.”
GO SEE: Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “The King and I” (Lincoln Center Theatre at the Vivian Beaumont). Nobody does musicals better than Rodgers & Hammerstein—or Lincoln Center Theatre. Under the sure direction of Bartlett Sher, LCT knows how to put on a classy, glossy, top notch show. While “The King and I” isn’t on a par with say, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “South Pacific” (Lincoln Center presented that show, also directed by Mr. Sher and also starring the ebullient Kelli O’Hara, a few years ago and it was sheer perfection), you’ll happily hum along with “I Whistle a Happy Tune,” “Getting to Know You,” and “Shall We Dance.” This production is big and gorgeous. Sure, the book is a bit weak and Ken Watanabe’s accent renders some of the dialogue and lyrics indecipherable. But Ms. O’Hara’s glorious voice and radiant presence, along with the sumptuous costumes and stunning sets, more than make up for these shortcomings. And yes, you will leave the theatre whistling a happy tune and with a song in your heart.

YOU: I’d rather see a dark, thought-provoking show than a cute piece of fluff. (And I’d make a mad dash to see anything starring the legendary Chita Rivera).
GO SEE: “The Visit” (Lyceum Theatre). A musical that explores the darkness of men’s souls? Yes, and it’s terrific. “The Visit” is a work created by theatre royalty. It’s the last collaboration of John Kander and Fred Ebb, the musical geniuses behind “Cabaret,” “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” and many other award-winning shows. The book is by Theater Hall of Famer Terrence McNally. And Chita? She’s a national treasure. The plot centers on Claire Zachanassian, the richest woman in the world, and her return to the small town where she spent a miserable childhood. The town has fallen on hard times, and the villagers who once taunted and reviled her believe she has come back to save them. Claire offers to do just that, but with a chilling twist. At 90 minutes with no intermission, “The Visit” is riveting, intelligent theatre. Some of the songs are reminiscent of “Cabaret,” but there’s nothing wrong with that. And Chita’s haunting performance of “Love and Love Alone,” sung while performing a pas de deux with her younger self (Michelle Veintimilla) is well worth the price of admission. You won’t leave this show humming a happy tune, but rather with the satisfying feeling of having experienced brilliance live on stage.
Watch a video from the show.

YOU: “I want to see something that will tickle my funny bone—the sillier the better.”
GO SEE: “Something Rotten” (St. James Theatre, in previews; opening April 22). Did you love “The Book of Mormon” and “Spamalot?” This original new show, directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw (“Book of Mormon”) stars Brian d’Arcy James (“Next to Normal,” “Shrek the Musical”) and Christian Borle (Tony-award winner, “Peter and the Starcatcher,” TV’s “Smash”) as rival playwrights Nick Bottom and William Shakespeare. Shakespeare is the 1590’s equivalent of a rock star, and Nick and his younger brother Nigel are desperate to come up with a strategy to compete. They turn to soothsayer Nostradamus (a show-stopping Brad Oscar) who encourages them to create the very first musical: “Oohs, aahs, big applause, and a standing ovation. The future is bright, if you can just write a musical!” The first three musical numbers in the show—“Welcome to the Renaissance,” “God, I Hate Shakespeare,” and “A Musical”—are absolutely hysterical, brilliant crowd pleasers. While nothing in Act 2 equals the perfection of those first few songs—and the preview performance I saw went on a bit too long—this show is tons of fun and will be a huge hit. So go back in time around 400 years or so to the Renaissance, “Where everything is new.” You’re guaranteed to have a great time.
Watch a video from the show.

YOU: “I want to see an old-fashioned, beautiful, romantic show.” OR: “I have a tweenage daughter who geeks out over “High School Musical.’”
GO SEE: “Gigi” (Neil Simon Theatre). You’re probably familiar with the Oscar-winning1958 film version of “Gigi” starring Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, and Louis Jordan. This “re-launched” (according to the Playbill) Broadway version stars Vanessa Hudgens, the talented young star of Disney’s “High School Musical” films, along with an excellent cast of Broadway veterans (Tony-award winner Victoria Clark, Tony nominees Dee Hoty and Howard McGillin). The new “Gigi” has been sanitized to make it more “G-rated” than the film. For example, the famous song “Thank Heaven for Little Girls,” sung by the Chevalier’s aging roué character in the film, is now sung by two women, Gigi’s grandmother and her aunt. And the fact that 15-year-old Gigi (now 18 in the Broadway musical) is being groomed to be a courtesan is never discussed. So no worries, parents: you can feel at ease taking your impressionable tweens and teens to this charming show. Musical highlights include the exuberant Act 1 closing number, “The Night They Invented Champagne” and the tender title song, wistfully sung by Corey Cott, the former “Newsies” star. The costumes and sets are lovely and Hudgens, who has been a performer since the age of 8, is delightful. At the preview performance I attended, teenage girls in the audience repeatedly shrieked with joy (and not just over Hudgens). Adults who like their musicals squeaky clean and romantic will also enjoy this 2-1/2 hour escape to a somewhat mythical La Belle Epoque, where Ms. Hudgens sparkles like the bubbles in a glass of champagne.

For ticket information, see the shows’ websites as listed above, or visit:
Playbill.com

TDF Discount Theatre Booths

Broadway Helper

THE LAST SHIP

Neil Simon Theatre, 250 W. 52^nd St.

Music & Lyrics: Sting

Book: John Logan & Brian Yorkey

Director: Joe Mantello

Choreography: Steven Hoggett

Lead Cast: Rachel Tucker (Meg Dawson), Michael Esper (Gideon Fletcher), Jimmy Nail (Jackie White, through 12-7), Sting (Jackie White, 12-9 through 1-10-15), Fred Applegate (Father O’Brien), Aaron Lazar (Arthur Millburn), Collin Kelly-Sordelet (Young Gideon/Tom Dawson)

In a Nutshell: The Last Ship has an impressive pedigree, coming to Broadway via a multi-award winning group of creatives. Sting, who wrote the score, is a 16-time Grammy winner who based the story on his childhood growing up in a small English ship-building town. John Logan (book) is an Oscar-nominated, Tony and Golden Globe winner. Brian Yorkey (book) has won a Pulitzer Prize, Tony, and more. The director, choreographer, and scenic/costumer designer are among Broadway’s finest. And the cast is a fine mixture of American and British pros. So why is this show struggling to stay alive?

The Plot: The Last Ship tells the tale of a young man, Gideon Fletcher, who abandons his home town, his loving girlfriend, and his bitter, dying father to explore a larger world and follow his dreams. When he returns 15 years later, on the occasion of his father’s death, he finds the town in peril, as the shipyard is about to close, and the girl he left behind engaged to marry a man involved in ending the town’s livelihood.

In the title song, the shipbuilders lament their impending fate: “For what are we men without a ship to complete?” It’s decided that they will band together to build one last ship to convince the shipyard’s owners to reverse course.

The Performances: Individually, many of the songs are hauntingly beautiful, especially “The Last Ship” and “Island of Souls”. Others are foot-stompingly rousing (“We’ve Got Now’t Else,” “Show Some Respect”). The talented cast, especially Jimmy Nail (a tough, craggy actor/singer who is quite well known in England) Rachel Tucker (another Brit, with a fiery presence and a gorgeous voice), and Broadway veteran Fred Applegate as the sassy, hard-drinking priest Father O’Brien, give it their all. And Shawna M. Hamic has a nice moment in Mrs. Dees’ Rant, the Act 2 opener. Some of the songs evoke a definite Kurt Weill feeling; others are more of an Irish jig. And the scenic design, with the hull of a ship in the background and lots of fog effects, enhances the troubled mood.

However, even with all of this going for it, as I exited the Neil Simon Theatre, the first word that came to mind was “ponderous.” Others have called the show “somber.” While there’s plenty of life in The Last Ship, there is also a good deal of death—of two characters, a love affair, and a town’s lifeblood. And there’s no happily ever after ending. At over 2 and a half hours, perhaps the show is just too much of a sad thing; it adds up to less than its individual parts.

The Sting Factor: According to The New York Times, this $15 million musical (a true labor of love for Sting) has been losing $75,000 a week since performances began Sept. 29. In a last ditch effort to “save a sinking ship,” Sting will play his rock star trump card, replacing his friend, veteran Brit actor Jimmy Nail, for 4 weeks at the Neil Simon. Sting’s presence, coupled with the usual Holiday season bump in Broadway attendance, will no doubt keep The Last Ship sailing through 2014. But once the show enters the annual doldrums of January and February, it will no doubt once again struggle to stay afloat.

You’ve got to give Sting a lot of credit: he’ll do almost anything to keep his baby alive. He gamely performed “Show Some Respect” with the show’s cast in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and soon he’ll be singing and dancing on the Broadway stage 8 times a week. (He has stated that he’d “show his rear end in Macy’s” if it would help the show, so that’s something to look forward to).

Trivia: Sting last appeared on Broadway in a revival of The Threepenny Opera in 1989. According to the NY Daily News, Sting is waiving his royalty payments (an estimated $10,000 per week) to help the show save money.

George Harrison contributed to Jimmy Nail’s 1992 album “Growing Up in Public.”

Should You Go? Are you a diehard Sting fan? Can you sing the complete lyrics of “If You Love Someone Set Them Free?” If so, hurry over to the Neil Simon while your idol is treading the boards. Even if you’re a moderate fan of his music, you’ll enjoy the show. (Or you could save yourself some serious money and just wait until the cast album comes out). If you really have your heart set on sailing on The Last Ship, best not to tarry; once Sting jumps ship on January 10, there’s a good chance the show will end up permanently moored at the dock.

Note: The show is recommended for audience members 13+.

Ticket Info:

Ticket Lottery: A limited number of $30 tickets (cash only) are sold for each performance, beginning 2-1/2 hours before curtain. Winners are drawn 2 hours before curtain. Limit one entry per person, two tickets max per winner.

The Neil Simon is a fairly large theatre (1,445 seats) and so is difficult to fill. The show is currently available on TDF (if you are a member) and TKTS, but this may change once Sting joins the cast. I just checked the Ticketmaster website and found many seats still available for dates when Sting will be performing. For example, during the popular Christmas week (December 23), seats in the center of the front mezzanine are available for $166.75. Seats further back in the mezzanine run $89.25 and $68.75. Orchestra seats for that date run $166.75 or a whopping $267 for “premium” seats. Playbill.com currently offers discounts through December 21, so it’s worth a try to print out the offer and take it to the box office.

You can visit Broadway Helper for a complete list of discount offers for The Last Ship and other shows.

Show Website.