Inside Theater

A noir gumshoe draws focus in this all-out Broadway valentine.

It seems like old-school Broadway is becoming hip again, from the more traditional first act of Grey Gardens to the loving homage/satire that is The Drowsy Chaperone and now the musical murder mystery Curtains, which co-stars David Hyde Pierce and Debra Monk. The escapist Curtains stars Hyde Pierce as Lieutenant Frank Cioffi, a Boston detective assigned to investigate the murder of a play’s leading actress on opening night at the Colonial Theatre. While sequestering the cast and crew indefinitely, he seeks to ferret out the villain, woo the understudy for the lead and help the producers solve the dilemma of how to make their show Robbin’ Hood better. Sometimes Cioffi shows more passion and interest in his love for the girl and for theatre, and the show’s humor derives from his odd choice of priorities.

It’s a fiery struggle set on a simple stage in the latest big-budget musical to hit Broadway

There are many large-scale productions on Broadway, but none quite like The Pirate Queen, an epic adventure that chronicles a unique time in history when two powerful women clashed over the fate of a country. It presents the true-life story of Grace O’Malley, an Irish pirate who defied the attempts of Queen Elizabeth I to subjugate her country and her people. The stage was set, so to speak, for the Pirate Queen to take on the Virgin Queen, and the musical interprets that famous struggle with a lively mixture of action scenes, Irish dance numbers and dramatic showdowns.

Some works of theatre attempt to overturn conventionality by completely subverting it. Other shows turn convention on its head by playing into it before twisting it into something unexpected. The latter case is true with Grey Gardens, the real-life tale of two women who led nonconformist lives and who engaged in an emotional tug-of-war.

Like the Great White Way, the West End of London is brimming with large-scale theatre productions. Recently, shows like Guys & Dolls, Spamalot and We Will Rock You have been popular there, even as more intimate pieces like Frost/Nixon have made a smaller but significant splash. But one show that is a West End mainstay, and which currently sits in the shadow of the impending Lord of the Rings production across the street, is The Woman in Black, a chilling Victorian ghost story that has been running at The Fortune Theatre for 18 years.

As Broadway has become littered with revivals or shows inspired by movies or tied into famous franchises, it’s refreshing when an original work comes along to stir things up. One such production is the new off-Broadway musical In the Heights, a production certainly worthy of the Great White Way. With lyrics written and music composed by star Lin-Manuel Miranda, the bilingual In the Heights chronicles the lives of residents in a Latin neighborhood in Washington Heights, their interweaving stories, how they keep their heritage alive while adapting to a different culture and their pursuit of the American Dream. The musical features dynamic staging, a clear and vibrant sound mix full of Latin sounds, show tunes and hip-hop, and lively, inspired performances from the cast, particularly Miranda as grocery store owner Usnavi and Olga Merediz as Abuela Claudia, the matriarch of the neighborhood.

Mary Poppins is the latest, greatest spectacle to hit Broadway. It ambitiously attempts to recapture the magic of the film, including its myriad locations, its animated park sequence and all of the songs that people have come to know and love, along with some new material. And Gavin Lee, who plays artist/chimney sweep Bert, very much performs in the style of Dick Van Dyke.

Colorful Character Creates Rainbows Down Under

After conquering Broadway, The Boy From Oz has returned to Australia in a new production of the original musical, especially designed for the arena stage. Hugh Jackman has recreated his Tony Award-winning role as Peter Allen in a nationwide tour for the production and its star. 

Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Who Stole Christmas is a classic children’s book that was adapted into an animated television program, and in recent years has also become a hit movie with Jim Carrey and a popular musical theatre production in San Diego for eight years running. Now Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical is tantalizing Broadway in its first limited holiday run.

The cues come as fast as flakes in a blizzard for Slava’s Snowshow.

Slava’s Snowshow is a theatrical free-for-all unlike anything else you’ve experienced. Russian clowns play tricks on each other, parody famous cinematic moments, wander through a winter wonderland and even invade the audience and heckle the crowd during intermission. For two years now the comedic and semi-improvisational show has delighted audiences at the Union Square Theatre near Greenwich Village, and lighting director Derek Brashears has been there since day one, from unloading the truck to learning the lighting design to manning the boards. He’s learned to weather a storm of surprises that can happen on a dayto- day basis, so much so that the connection is somewhat telepathic. 

Designing projections for a Broadway musical is no easy task. First you develop a concept for the show, next create the content, and then build a visual space that works with the show. Then you must acquire the actual physical means by which to display the media and be prepared for the complications that arise from that. You must be flexible enough with your work to make changes on site or come up with new ideas to work while the show is in rehearsals. Once it’s open and successful, then it’s time to take it on tour!