If you can't pull off grandeur in a show that's pretty much known for grandeur, you're much better off shooting for ingenuity and invention. So, for those curious how the modestly scaled Clinton Area Showboat Theatre was going to house the extravagantly scaled Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the happy answer is: with considerable wit and smarts, thank you.
As the second in a three-part series of autobiographical works, Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues is, I think, something truly rare: a play that not only succeeds independently of its precursor (Brighton Beach Memoirs) and follow-up (Broadway Bound), but that's a smarter, funnier, stronger piece than either of its trilogy partners. Even those of us who are casually dismissive of the playwright's style generally agree that this military-themed outing showcases Simon at his absolute finest; the drama is lightly poignant and unforced, and the jokes - and there are dozens of great ones - seem to spring naturally from personality and situation. (In a wonderful break from his punchline-driven norm, Simon's characters here don't all sound interchangeable.)
Let's cut right to it: Yes. During the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre's presentation of Singin' in the Rain, it rained on-stage. And it rained well.
If you were to ask me which I'd rather see - a new stage comedy by David Mamet, Elaine May, or Woody Allen - I'd have to think long and hard before giving you my answer: "Yes, please."
Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years is perhaps the best-known, most widely adored American musical that, in all likelihood, you've never heard of. Unless, that is, you're well-versed in modern musical theatre, in which case Brown's two-character, mostly dialogue-free offering probably isn't familiar so much as borderline-legendary.
On Sunday morning, I started writing my piece on the musical revue I'd seen the night before, and here's how I began my first draft:
In the 11-week period between June 1 and August 12, I saw 28 area productions. And how did you spend your summer vacation?Subscribe & Listen to Reader Podcasts
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