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When the S.S. American heads out to sea, etiquette and convention head out the portholes as two unlikely pairs set off on the course to true love... proving that sometimes destiny needs a little help from a crew of singing sailors, an exotic disguise and some good old-fashioned blackmail. Sutton Foster is amazing as Reno Sweeney, Joel Grey is great as Moonface Martin, Colin Donnell is darling as Billy Crocker. Luscious lighting, marvelous music, elegant gowns, sensationally, simple set design, divine dancing and amazing choreography, this is a big, beautiful Broadway show.

This is an adult production despite the puppetry since Sesame Street meets South Park. Winner of the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical. Singing puppets and their human neighbors tackle life's most vexing issues - including love, sex, money, race and how to tell your roommate he's gay. The place is New York City, and the street is Avenue Q, the only address you can afford when you're fresh out of college, or out of a job, or just trying to find your way in life. This is X rated, adults only, no matter how sophisticated you think that your children are; you and the audience will not be comfortable with under 18 year olds.

Brilliant casting, catchy tunes carry The Book of Mormon's bizarre premise over the top even for adult sensibilities.

This is a genuine Broadway musical from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, four-time Emmy Award-winning creators of South Park. The story is about a pair of mismatched Mormon boys sent on a mission to a place that's about as far from Salt Lake City as you can get. The Book of Mormon is written in collaboration with Robert Lopez, the Tony Award-winning writer of Avenue Q, and co-directed by Mr. Parker and three-time Tony nominee Casey Nicholaw (Spamalot, The Drowsy Chaperone).

The show is just hysterical satire, brilliantly executed for mature audiences with explicit language and simply not for children, no matter how sophisticated you think they are. Where Avenue Q left audiences wondering what happened to the traditional Broadway audience "likeability", that was kindergarten. The Book of Mormon goes beyond what anyone would have dreamed would end up on a Broadway stage. The lyrics that are simply "I cannot believe they are actually saying THAT!" and performed by such a terrific cast with such humor, you sit there stunned, but laughing.

What becomes a legend most? For a couple of Jazz Age entertainers, it's all about fame, fortune - and murder. The razzle-dazzle musical where a sensational murder trial is acted out in vaudeville specialties. The score includes "Razzle-Dazzle," "All That Jazz" and "Mister. A great musical for adults. Ann Reinking's choreography in the style of Bob Fosse is wonderful. The songs have become classics and the show is just as strong now as it was when it opened in 1996.

This is the perfect show for a family with small children. It's a wonderful combination of fantasy and science and incredible talent. Fan Yang holds 12 world records in the Guinness Book of World Records for his creativity with bubbles. At one hour and 15 minutes, it's a great show for even very young children.

What do you get when you combine a Christian Rock group's version of the Gospel according to St. Matthew with the wit of John Stewart's current political commentary? In the opening scene of Godspell, the cast members are texting each other.

Broadway has been trying to bring new audiences into the theater experience by using contemporary music, and some very controversial topics. This new rendition feels like a college performance executed in the Theater in the Square's more intimate space. The costumes seem as they were donated from a homeless shelter rather than as a thought through design. It's quirky and will appeal to a young audience.

The new casting in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying starring Nick Jonas as J. Pierrepont Finch and Beau Bridges as J.B. Biggley is terrific.

The set design, fabulous lighting and spot on costumes keep this revival fresh and fun. It?s a perfect show for the whole family from children 8 and over.

This darling daytime production is 50 minutes and perfect for 3 Ð 8 year olds with their parents and grandparents that love Sesame Street. The black light day glow colors or the characters are charming. The music is lively and the story line about friendship is perfect for this age group.

Winner of the 2006 Tony Award for Best Musical, Jersey Boys tells the story of how Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons went from being unknown New Jersey kids to international pop superstars. The show features over 30 beautifully sung tunes, including "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." This production is still has much fun as when it opened in 2005 and will bring back great memories from the 60's. Be prepared for another overly mic'd production and Soprano's language.

The Lion King is the story of a young lion prince living in the flourishing African Pride Lands. Born into the royal family, precocious cub Simba spends his days exploring the sprawling savanna grasslands and idolizing his kingly father, Mufasa, while youthfully shirking the responsibility his position in life requires. When an unthinkable tragedy, orchestrated by Simba's wicked uncle, Scar, takes his father's life, Simba flees the Pride Lands, leaving his loss and the life he knew behind. Eventually companioned by two hilarious and unlikely friends, Simba starts anew. But when weight of responsibility and a desperate plea from the now ravaged Pride Lands come to find the adult prince, Simba must take on a formidable enemy, and fulfill his destiny to be king. A vibrant and exciting tale from the great creatives at Disney, The Lion King is a story of love and redemption that nobody should miss. Audiences still love this. It did nothing for me.

Big and bright musical about a woman who can't determine which of three men might have been the father of her daughter.

Just loved this production from beginning to end. The set design by Bob Crowley and lighting by Howard Harrison are fabulous. George Stiles and Stephen Mear's choreography are wonderful. As with many productions that have been adapted from a movie or book onto the Broadway stage, you might be a tad disappointed but it's good, clean family entertainment.

Memphis is set in the places where rock and roll was born in the 1950s: the seedy nightclubs, radio stations and recording studios of the musically-rich Tennessee city. With an original score, it tells the fictional story of DJ Huey Calhoun, a good ole' local boy with a passion for R&B music and Felicia Farrell, an up-and-coming black singer that he meets one fateful night on Beale Street. Despite the objections of their loved ones (Huey's close-minded mama and Felicia's cautious brother, a club owner), they embark on a dangerous affair. As their careers rise, the relationship is challenged by personal ambition and the pressures of an outside world unable to accept their love. Beware there is a brutal beating, and this not the story of history of Rock and Roll which is what most people think.

Great opportunity to go back in time and relive the beginning of Rock and Roll with a wonderful cast representing Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. On December 4, 1956 the four legends of music returned to Sun Records and met with Sam Phillips, the man that gave them each their first recording contract. A really fun evening jammed into 1 hour and 45 minutes with no intermission so that you can have a late dinner.

This amazing cast consists of Stockard Channing, Rachel Griffiths, Stacy Keach, Judith Light, Thomas Sadoski, and Lauren Klein. Set in Palm Springs, the story weaves from Christmas of 2004 through March of 2010. A prodigal daughter returns home after a long absence and announces that she is about to publish a memoir dredging up a pivotal and tragic event in the family's history - a wound they don't want reopened.

Closing January 8, 2012

Based on the 1910 horror novel by Gaston Leroux, which has been adapted into countless films, The Phantom of the Opera follows a deformed composer who haunts the grand Paris Opera House. Sheltered from the outside world in an underground cavern, the lonely, romantic man tutors and composes operas for Christine, a gorgeous young soprano star-to-be. As Christine's star rises, and a handsome suitor from her past enters the picture, the Phantom grows mad, terrorizing the opera house owners and company with his murderous ways. Still, Christine finds herself drawn to the mystery man. Audiences agree-The Phantom of the Opera is Broadway's longest-running hit since 1998 making it the longest running show ever.

The strength of Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis make this revival worth seeing. This version is two-and-a-half hour reworking of George and Ira Gershwin's folk opera. Norm Lewis plays the crippled Porgy and his love for seductress Bess, Audra McDonald, leads him to a confrontation with her murderous boyfriend, Crown. Set in the 1920's in Charleston, SC, songs include "Summertime," "Bess, You Is My Woman Now," "I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'" and "I'm on My Way."

Great for adult audiences.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert tells the story of Tick, Bernadette and Adam, a glamorous Sydney-based performing trio who agree to take their show to the middle of the Australian outback. They hop aboard a battered old bus (nicknamed Priscilla) searching for love and friendship and end up finding more than they ever could have dreamed.

This over the top production looks like every Broadway show that you have ever seen combined on one stage, boosted by steroids. The costumes are beyond wild. The set design combines aerial acts with fanciful lighting. The cast is terrific and the cult following walked out with the same word: simply a fun evening. Age appropriate for 16 and older.

This the perfect for those of you that loved Urinetown set to loud music with it's stupid dialogue and jokes. The target groupie is those of you that lived through the music of the late 80's and actually liked it. The content is simply not for those under 18. Almost anything else on Broadway is better.

Alan Rickman, widely known as the sinister professor Snape in the Harry Potter movies, Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater and team deserve better than this new drama. Rickman plays an English professor mentoring young authors in a private seminar that each have paid $5,000 to attend. Between the nudity and constant use of four letter words, the subject matter is simply boring. Why, oh why, take a script about writing and not get a good writer? Save your time and money on this.

The story centers on disco diva Deloris Van Cartier, who is put into protective custody after witnessing a murder in the one place the cops are sure she won't be found: a convent. Disguised as a nun, she finds herself at odds with both the rigid lifestyle and an uptight Mother Superior. Using her fabulous disco-ness and killer voice to inspire the choir, Deloris breathes new life into the church and community, but in doing so blows her cover. Soon it's nun-on-the-run time but she finds salvation in the heavenly power of her newly found sisterhood. The cast is just terrific, wonderful set design and costumes, fun songs and lots of laughs. This is a really fun night on Broadway.

It's nice to go to a thoughtful comedy, one with a message and very well cast. This is very cleverly written, the timing is excellent and the premise interesting. Based in Nazareth, PA, two gay sons try to make sense of their father's death and struggle with their health, livelihoods and sanity. Their Lebanese background in the middle of Pennsylvania will keep you laughing as you watch them struggle with suffering in various ways.

Closing December 23, 2011

Spider-Man the Musical still clings to life

Is Spider-Man any better now than it was six months ago? It's still in previews, and still needs lots of work. Back in December, Spider-Man was a spectacle worthy of Las Vegas with high flying scenes and fabulous costumes. Although there was not clear story line and music was not great, it was an interesting show.

This revamp has a story line, although dismal, the costumes have been cut way back because characters have been eliminated. The music is blaring to point of washing over the lyrics so whatever story line has been written is impossible to follow.

So, who is the audience for this $70 million extravaganza? The Middle School and High School groups were truly audible in their flirtations with Peter Parker/Spiderman throughout the show! They loved the flying and costumes, and don't care if they can understand the words. The show is still a work in process. Look forward to the next update after the show officially opens and see if they have made some improvements. That will be the third time to see it and hopefully, will be the best. All of us hope so!

Stick Fly is a terrific production. The cast is marvelous; the story starts slowly and builds to an interesting twist at the end. The set design is perfect; great lighting. All in all, it's exactly what you want in comedy with a message.

Stick Fly follows the LeVays, an affluent African American family who come together to spend a weekend at their stately Martha's Vineyard mansion. The adult sons, aspiring novelist Kent and golden boy plastic surgeon Flip, have each brought their respective ladies (one black and one white) to meet the parents. Food, drink and Trivial Pursuit tangle with class, race and identity politics in this contemporary comedy of manners.

This is a production for people that love percussion. Stomp takes place in a fenced-in, junkyard environment where custodial-type workers in coveralls and tank tops appear one-by-one onstage, all sweeping the bare stage with push brooms. There is a lot of dust kicked up so, beware if you have breathing challenges. Slowly, all those dissonant sweeping noises lock into a syncopated rhythm, as the cast proceeds to milk funky-funky beats from a number of workaday objects: Zippo lighters, industrial-sized garbage cans, newspapers, plastic jugs, hubcaps, running water, even the kitchen sink! There's no traditional storyline, per se, except maybe a running gag involving a character who marches to the beat of a different drum, literally. Perfect for the whole family, especially international groups where language is not an issue since the production is entirely percussion based rather than story based.

This Acapella group would be an entire evening of fun if they just sang. However, turning a "concert" into an Off-Broadway show meant writing a ridiculous premise that makes you feel as if you are watching the Blue Man performers change into all white clothes and make-up and start singing. This is a really talented group of performers who should either get a good writer or just be allowed to sing. Audience for this is probably an international group that where English storyline is not important.

This is simply an amazing production, from beginning to end. Puppeteer, Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler have created a character that you really believe is "alive" thanks to the amazing talents of the cast the actors who bring "Joey" to life.

War Horse centers on the relationship between Albert, a teenager growing up on a farm in Devon, England, just before World War I, and his beloved half-thoroughbred horse, Joey. Albert's family is poor, and his father raises cash by selling Joey to the cavalry as the war begins in 1914. Too young to enlist, Albert craves news of his horse, which was shipped to the battlefield in France. Three years later, Albert runs away to join the army, determined to find Joey and bring him home. Meanwhile, this smart and brave horse is pulled into service on both sides of the conflict before being left on his own in no-man's-land, surrounded by trenches and barbed wire.

The untold musical story of The Wizard of Oz's Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good... before Dorothy dropped in. Based on the imaginative Gregory Maguire novel, Wicked takes a fantasy journey through the unseen side of Oz, sharing a tale of unexpected friendship and love. Still one of the hottest tickets in town now, since it opened in 2003, it is perfect for an audience that grew up with the Wizard of Oz and will see the humor in the twists that the story line takes. The production is extremely loud and long at 2 hours and 45 minutes.