Curtain Up

With its inspiration firmly in the Rodgers & Hammerstein handbook, the abundantly charming Yank! is a delight. Sure, with its reliance on sketchy supporting characters that fall perfectly in line with war movie clichés, you could pick apart the book if you wanted to, but why bother? The score, by out brothers Joseph and`1 David Zellnik, is a surprisingly tuneful collection of 1940s pastiche delivered by a top-notch cast starring Bobby Steggert and Ivan Hernandez as Stu and Mitch, soldiers who meet and fall in love despite Stu’s photography assignment with Yank! Magazine and Mitch’s growing discomfort with his sexuality. There’s real chemistry between Steggert and Hernandez, particularly the scene when they first kiss on a train that’s as palpable and heartbreaking as anything on stage in New York. Their army buddies are robustly brought to life by a superb supporting cast including Jeffry Denman as a toe-tapping reporter who takes Stu under his proverbial wing, and the indefatigable Nancy Anderson, who plays all the women in the show with real verve style. Yank! may be small in size and production values but its heart is as big as the love story it tells. Don’t miss it! continue reading »

When compared to the other off-off-Broadway gay comedies that spring up with frightening regularity, When Joey Married Bobby is harmless fun and worth seeing for the pricelessly funny performance of star Tina McKissick. She plays Sarah Edwards, a pushy Southern socialite throwing a gay wedding for her son, Joey (the handsome Matt Pender), while not jeopardizing her chances of winning Christian of the Year from her ultra-conservative Baptist church. Though the script by John William Gibson and Anthony Wyatt Morris vacillates wildly between razor-sharp hilarity and silly, sophomoric inconsistency, McKissick spins comedy into gold with the stage presence and comic timing of a young Rue McClanahan. Whether battling with her domestic help (a no-nonsense Jennifer Banner Sobers); lending a warm shoulder to Joey’s HIV+ best man (a terrific William Yoder); fighting with her mother-in-law (an unleashed Deborah Johnstone) or kissing up to the minister’s wife, Charity Divine (played to the hilt by Lady Bunny), McKissick is utterly hysterical—and deserving of a more worthy vehicle for her talents. continue reading »

 
The sinfully sexy Miss Maggie Moore along with her adorable musical director, Geoffrey Kiorpes, reunite for a concert of originals and covers from off the beaten path on March 20 at the 92nd Street Y’s new 92YTribeca venue (200 Hudson St at Canal St, 212-601-1000). Joined onstage by David Bowie bassist Gail Ann Dorsey debuting on drums, and Alyson Palmer of the band Betty on bass, Moore & Kiorpes will be rocking on Hudson Street. continue reading »

Taking a page from Mo’Nique’s skyrocketing career, comedian and actress Erica Watson’s hilariously filthy one-woman show, Fat Bitch, is more than meets the eye—much more! Filled with razor-sharp observations about the trials and tribulations of plus-sized black women, Watson’s savvy monologue is also filled with scatological stories of bathroom drama, the war between penises and vaginas, the horrors of dating as well as the marginalization of black women into “mammy”-like stereotypes. She’ll have you laughing your ass off one minute and testifying to the heavens the next. Watson is a fresh, funny voice whose time has come…and woe to the poor fool who tries to stand in her way! continue reading »

Donald Margulies’ terrific new play, Time Stands Still, boasts smart writing as well as bravura performances from a stellar cast including Laura Linney, Brian d’Arcy James, Eric Bogosian and Alicia Silverstone. The story of a photojournalist (Linney) and her journalist boyfriend (James) at a crossroads in their relationship as well as professional careers, Time Stands Still is that rare adult drama you’ll think about long after you leave the theater. Nearly killed covering the war in the Middle East, Linney arrives home to be cared for by James and visited by her editor (Bogosian) and his girlfriend (Silverstone). Dealing with uncertain futures, Margulies dramatizes the difficulty of one couple’s attempt to reconcile their relationship within the natural progression of their changing lives. continue reading »

Rockin’ In Rhythm - A Tribute To Duke Ellington
John Pizzarelli

The great jazz guitarist/vocalist John Pizzarelli takes on Duke Ellington with his sensational new disc on Telarc, Rockin’ In Rhythm – A Tribute to Duke Ellington.  From “Satin Doll” to “Perdido” to the rarely heard “Love Scene,” Pizzarelli’s talent for reinventing jazz classics is at its zenith on this wonderful collection of standards. Perfect for the mid-winter blues. (Telarc Records) continue reading »

Not a moment too soon, the husband-and-wife team of Eric Comstock & Barbara Fasano have officially become New York’s premiere cabaret couple with their new show at The Oak Room, This Thing Called Love. Their first extended engagement together at this legendary watering hole, …Love boasts a witty and stylish set list featuring classics rendered with a fresh twist, such as “Tonight” and “Old Devil Moon,” as well as more obscure fare performed in a classic manner, like “The Great City” (by Curtis R. Lewis) and “Cactus Tree” (by Joni Mitchell). continue reading »

Roundabout’s sparkling revival of Noël Coward’s Present Laughter is an Art Deco treat for the eye and ear. Starring Broadway and television star Victor Garber as Garry Essendine, a deliciously self-absorbed actor (that Coward modeled on himself!), Present Laughter is a hilarious comedy about a day in Essendine’s life as he readies himself for a tour of Africa, deals with all the women in his life who are driving him crazy, puts off a crazed playwright who’s obsessed with him and fights his inevitable slide into “middle-age.” Though Coward’s acerbic dialogue doesn’t come as effortlessly to Garber as it did to Frank Langella in the brilliant 1996–97 revival (that also launched Allison Janney’s career), he makes the role his own as he fusses, fumes, simpers and rails against the injustices being done to him. Briskly directed by Nicholas Martin on Alexander Dodge’s set spectacular with lavish period costumes by Jane Greenwood, Present Laughter is a rare theatrical treat, indeed. continue reading »

There are many interesting ideas in David Ives’ new psychosexual drama, Venus in Fur, but I’m not sure they’re executed well enough to recommend it—despite the presence of film heartthrob Wes Bentley. Based on Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s seminal 1870 novella about a man so infatuated with a woman that he asks her to treat him as her slave and then encourages her to treat him in increasingly degrading ways, Venus in Fur was notable for its eroticism and its descriptions of sexual desires to have pain inflicted on oneself. (If you’ve ever wondered where the term “masochism” comes from, Sacher-Masoch’s name is your answer.) continue reading »

The divine Christine Ebersole returns to the Café Carlyle (35 E 76th St, 212-744-1600) for an exclusive three-week engagement Feb 3–20. Featuring an all-new program, Ebersole’s sure to provide us with an eclectic musical evening on the subjects of sex, politics, religion and even the weather. Tony-winner Scott Wittman (Hairspray) directs and the trusty John Oddo will lead a quartet of musicians in support of Ebersole’s every whim. continue reading »