The reason I come up to New York at this specific time of the year is that it is the final week of Tony Award eligibility, when there is a last burst of openings for the season. But in addition, this is the week of the Easter Bonnet Competition, a two-performance celebration of the end of the annual fund-raising begathon drive at New York theaters for Broadway Cares/Equity … [Read more...]
Postcard from New York No. 4: The Easter Bonnet show and ‘Leap of Faith’
I had a busy day yesterday, seeing two shows and doing two interviews. Finally feel like I'm up to speed with the pace of the city. First stop was lunch with multiple Tony Award-winning director Jack O'Brien (Hairspray, The Coast of Utopia, Henry IV) at a reliable and convenient theater district joint, Angus McIndoe's. He's very smart and articulate, has lots of projects in … [Read more...]
Postcard from New York No. 3: ‘Newsies’ has legs
Being the conscientious reviewer that I am, I spent Monday morning watching the 1992 movie Newsies, in preparation for seeing the much-touted stage version Monday night. Having revitalized its core business of animated features with such Alan Menken musicals as The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, Disney tried a live-action musical 20 years ago with this fact-based … [Read more...]