Sheesh....I am just TERRIBLE.

Now I am even further behind. I am bad. I hide my head in shame. Shall I wear a cone? (UP reference.)

Other things to add:

Ragtime
Race
A Little Night Music
In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play
Bye Bye Birdie
God of Carnage
Superior Donuts

I feel as though I am missing things. Oy.



As far as the things I am woefully behind on I've decided the following:

I will try to simply to a BRIEF wrap up and skip any repeat shows unless I have something earth-shattering to add to a previous review.

Mary Stuart -- an amazing evening of theater, incredible performances, beautiful (even if inaccurate) history lesson.

Fuerza Bruta -- still exhilarating, still breathtaking. I cannot urge people enough to go and experience this show. Keep an open mind, let go of fears and just BE. For those unfamiliar with Fuerza Bruta, it is performance art at its best. The experience IS you. I imagine that people that are highly religious must get the same feeling from prayer and services that I receive from this show. It assualts your senses. It takes you away from yourself. It makes you SEE things differently. It is nearly an out of body experience. I fear for it's future as it is only selling tix through Feb. My HS group has been trying to get tix for our Spring trip...and it looks like we have to go another route. They are saddened, but life goes on.

Billy Elliot -- I have now seen this three times, and wish it were fewer. It is incredibly manipulative and formulaic. That does not mean that it is drek or without merit. It is just flawed, and I don't think I will quite get over it beating N2N for Best New Musical. Congrats to it's success, it needs no words of praise from me.

The Gazillion Bubble Show -- UGH. My kids liked it, but I just wanted to take hot forks and insert them thusly into my corneas. Don't. Please. (Unless you have young children.)


The Departure Lounge (off b'way) -- At the Public Theater, playing during their SPF Festival. I cannot say anything bad about Jonathan Bradford Wright. I adore him. You may recognize his name from the original cast of Spring Awakening, or two of Michael Cera's movies (Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist and the upcoming Youth in Revolt). Since those movies are NOT of my liking, I was incredibly happy to see JBW back on stage and SINGING. The show itself about 4 longtime friends finding out the truth about themselves and each other after a free sprited vacation was "nice" enough. I believe the blurb from the festival states it is a "testosterone-driven new musical." Yup.

I will go and see JBW sing the phone book. Or simply SIT on a phone book. The man oozes talent and is incredibly hot. Chatting with him afterwards, he was incredibly sweet...and much more outgoing and comfortable than in previous meetings. He mentioned he saw us in the audience and thought, "Aw, there's my 'peeps'". (As a sidebar....I saw him in NYC Christmas week as he walked by 5Napkin Burger where we were eating. Yum -- JBW AND the restaurant.)

PLEASE cast this incredibly young man in a musical on b'way. American Idiot, please? (Even thought I highly suspect that the entire cast is staying with the show.)

Avenue Q -- Over five years since it opened and close to 4 since I saw it the first time, this show has since closed ON Bway.. It was still fun, still inappropriate for the masses. Grown up Sesame Street. Puppet Porn. The most UN-"PC" show out there. And a real entertaining delight. I've heard it has survived the transfer to Off B'way quite well (New World Stages).

Vanities (off b'way) -- This has been one of my favorite plays since college. I was more than curious, even though I'd heard less than stellar reports. This was a show that was originally slated for a B'way opening when the economy turned south. Well, the reports weren't wrong. It wasn't wonderful, but it wasn't terrible. It was just...meh. It would have been a colossal error to allow this to open ON B'way. I happened to get to the closing performance, which if you haven't been to the closing of a professional show, have a tendancy to run high on emotions. It's hard letting go of something that has been a part of you for some time. I suppose I would liken it to sending your kids off to college. (not that I've been there yet...only with students)

Next to Normal -- I am fairly certain I have spewed enough adoration and love for this show for the next decade. I am excited to see this again with my students in April. Aaron Tveit has permanently left the cast and the producers have replaced him with Kyle Massey, who temporarily replaced him during the summer during his run in Catch Me If You Can out in Seattle.

The Toxic Avenger (off b'way)-- another fresh, inappropriate, noisy and tacky show. And I loved every minute of it. Sadly, this too is closing at New World Stages. Based off a TERRIBLY B-movie from the 80's, nothing is too lowly for this raunchy musical. And I had a blast.

Hair -- LOVE. Nothing but love. Got to catch Jay Johnson on for Claude as Gavin had the NERVE to be on Vacation. Jay was lovely. Young, yearning and pure. Will Swenson nearly made love to me in my seat. (No complaints) And SOMEHOW (thanks, Nix) we ended up BACKSTAGE. Got to meet nearly everyone and hang about on stage and in the wings. Cannot begin to be giddy enough about THAT experience. I so had the opporutuinty to steal props....but there was nothing inconsequential to lift. Not a freakin' draft card or love beads. MAJOR disappointment. My friends tried to convince me to take a spear...but that seemed a bit much.

A few weeks later we ran into Jay at the Equality March rally held at the Delacourt Theater. What a lovely kid.

Burn the Floor -- ugh. Wanted to leave. Wanted there to be SOME meaning. Wanted to get two hours of my life back.


The Bacchae (At the Delacourt theater in Central Park)-- Not one of my favorite theatrical experiences. I didn't even really enjoy seeing Jonathan Groff attempt this mess of a show. I'm a fan of classical theater...but not 1/2 baked ideas that leave you cold and unmoved.

Matt Doyle (in his first solo gig)-- a beautiful person, a beautiful voice, a really nice gig. Of course, it was brimming with fan girls that would have been ecstatic had Matt showed up and simply passed gas. Special guests: Blake Daniel, Wes Taylor and someone else from the final cast of Spring Awakening.

Joe Iconis (and friends)-- you can't have more fun with your clothes on. Really.

The 39 Steps (FINALLY!) -- and yet, I was disappointed. Truly. It was cute, but mostly because of the gimmick....4 actors playing an obnoxious amount of characters. This is also closing it's bway run but will ALSO be taking up residence at New World Stages to see about an OFF b'way go. Hm. A new trend???


OK....that's enough for now. I'll try to catch up on the fall experiences in the next few days!