Stephen Mangan in The Norman Conquests.By Hap Erstein NEW YORK -- Most of the peak theatergoing experiences of my life have been all-day marathon events, like Angels in America (in its Los Angeles tryout), the Royal Shakespeare Company's Nicholas Nickleby and Tom Stoppard's The Coast of Utopia two seasons ago on Broadway.Saturday, I had another such peak viewing thrill, … [Read more...]
New York postcard No. 4: ‘West Side Story’ tweaks don’t hurt, or help, a great show
Cody Green as Riff, with the Jets, in West Side Story.(Photo by Joan Marcus)Editor's note: Palm Beach ArtsPaper's Hap Erstein is on assignment in New York.By Hap ErsteinNEW YORK -- It was a gray, drizzly day, with the weather threatening to break out into a rainstorm, but never mustering the energy to do so.You know how umbrella vendors pop up on the street here whenever it … [Read more...]
New York postcard No. 3: ‘Billy Elliot’ a certain smash
Haydn Gwynne and David Alvarez in Billy Elliot.(Photo by David Scheinmann) Editor's note: Palm Beach ArtsPaper's Hap Erstein is on assignment in New York.By Hap ErsteinNEW YORK -- Some seasons there is suspense over the eventual winner of the Best Musical Tony Award, but this year if Billy Elliot does not win, and win big, it will be cause for a federal investigation.I have … [Read more...]
New York postcard No. 2: ‘Godot,’ ‘9 to 5’ may be big box office
Nathan Lane, John Goodman and Bill Irwin in Waiting for Godot.(Photo by Joan Marcus) Editor's note: Palm Beach ArtsPaper's Hap Erstein is on assignment in New York. By Hap ErsteinNEW YORK -- Never let it be said that this Broadway season does not have range.I saw two shows today on their final previews -- a star-studded revival of Samuel Beckett's existential … [Read more...]
New York postcard: ‘Accent on Youth,’ and the Easter Bonnet show
Mary Catherine Garrison and David Hyde Pierce in Accent on Youth.Editor's note: Palm Beach ArtsPaper's Hap Erstein is on assignment in New York this week.By Hap ErsteinSo I am up in the Big City for the week, gorging on theater, gauging the season and, for good measure, catching a couple of pre-release film screenings.This evening (Tuesday), I saw the final preview of a … [Read more...]