To this introverted writer, there are few prospects scarier than appearing on a stage and trying to make people laugh. Alex Novak, Will Arnett’s newly separated father of two in Bradley Cooper’s Is This Thing On?, whose day job, we are told simply, is “finance,” might have shared such trepidation at one time. But when he shuffles onto the stage of a comedy club’s open-mic … [Read more...]
On Broadway, Part 2: More musicals
Just because there were a lot of musicals this season on Broadway does not mean they were all on sufficient quality. Consider the following, a star-driven disappointment, a couple of anemic film adaptations and an impressive revival: War Paint – Stardom is a double-edged commodity. It can drive ticket sales as theatergoers clamor to see such bona fide divas as Patti LuPone … [Read more...]