Anna Netrebko and Dimitri Hvorostovsky at Carnegie Hall, May 30, 2007. Orchestra of St. Luke's, Asher Fisch, cond.
This was as much a party as a concert, and at times the audience danced in the aisles. In my 40+ years of concert going, I've never seen anything like it. Here's Anna Netrebko in an impossibly low cut gown, singing the most difficult opera arias to perfection, even, and this is the hardest possible thing to do, creating characters in a concert venue. And there's incredibly handsome Dimitri Hvorostovsky (would he ever be the Emile De Becque of our dreams), doing the same thing. When they sang their three duets together, the chemistry was smoking. There were many highlights in this concert, but I'd single out first and foremost their red hot "Eugene Onegin" duet which was idiomatically perfection, and her singing of an aria from Lehar's Giuditta "Meine Lippen, Sie Kussen So Heiss" in which she sashayed across the stage playing shamelessly to the audience. Fantastic. Anna Netrebko is the biggest soprano star to come along since Maria Callas and she is in her prime. This is the now in opera, and are we ever lucky! Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test grade A+

Inherit The Wind, a play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. Lyceum Theatre; starring Christopher Plummer, Brian Dennehy and Denis O'Hare.
It had not been my intention to see this revival of "Inherit the Wind." My wife and I had deliberately decided to pass on it, we were seeing so many other things in this superb Broadway season and, ten years ago, we had seen an estimable revival with George C. Scott and Charles Durning. Even with those two, the play had seemed dated, creaky, and the subject matter didn't seem particularly relevant anymore. But our daughter, a rising Junior at NYU, who is a biology student, asked me to take her to it, and so I went to the halfprice booth yesterday for a Wednesday matinee and obtained two excellent tickets.
Well, was I ever glad, because there is a master class in acting taking place at the Lyceum Theatre and the two old pros, and a young one, who are delivering it are at the top of their game. In their hands, and due in no small part to George W. Bush and the rise of the Creationists, "Inherit The Wind" is hardly passe these days. The play crackled with energy. The production is splendid, no cheap corners cut at the Lyceum, this is as lavish a production as one hopes to see. As a revival, I'd rank it right up there with "Journey's End." There is even a first rate bluegrass group to entertain us in the pre show and intermission.
If one goes to the theater enough times, very occasionally a magic moment occurs. In Frost/Nixon, it was when Langella-Nixon stares into the camera and reveals himself at last to the audience and more importantly to himself. Pure magic. In "Inherit the Wind" this same magic is vouchsafed us when Christopher Plummer as Henry Drummond and Brian Dennehy as Matthew Harrison Brady, sit down at the end of the first act to reminisce. What a moment! Another great moment was when Brian Dennehy spoke the words that are the title of the play. Some critics complained about Dennehy's subdued performance, but I found it note perfect - he plays a weary politician who has been to one too many a tent, one too many a rally, had one too many a barbecue, and was at the end of the line, his last battle. There are giants walking on Broadway these days. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test grade A.

Talk Radio, a play by Eric Bogosian at the Longacre Theatre, starring Liev Schreiber. "Talk Radio" is indeed all talk, and no substance. Not even the superlative performance of Liev Schreiber, one of the most talented actors of this or any other generation, can make this play remotely interesting. "Talk Radio" is tedious and dated from first to last, with embarrassingly clunky monologues of supporting actors (all of whom are under drawn and uninteresting), and even Schreiber's climatic scene, played with electrifying skill wasn't enough to make the evening worthwhile for us. We had an awful commute into the city of nearly 3 hours by bus. This bummer gets a C- and is only that high for Schreiber. Because Schreiber is so compelling, the play is OK as a last minute theater jaunt if you're already in the city, but for the suffering commuter, anything less than a B- is a failing grade in our Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test. C-

Stairway To Paradise, a revue at the New York City Center Encores! Rob Berman, conducting, with Kristin Chenoweth, Ruthie Henshall, Kevin Chamberlin, Christopher Fitzgerald, Jenn Genovese, Capathia Jenkins, Kendrick Jones. Directed by Jerry Zaks. The New York City Center.
We happily caught the final showing of "Stairway To Paradise." A glorious romp, superbly done, we loved every minute of it, every star, every number, every comic bit. "The Yellow Peril" cracked everyone up including Kristin Chenoweth who couldn't stop laughing. Sneezing, it's been funny for a long time. There's a great comic ensemble in Paisiello's Il Barbiere di Siviglia (1782)). I wonder if sneezing as a gag in theater even predates that?
Kristin Chenoweth, what a complete talent, she has it all. She sang in all styles and ranges, and showcased her sound operatic training with a lovely performance of "Kiss Me Again," a number written for another glamorous opera singer/musical comedy star of long ago - Fritzi Scheff. I've followed Chenoweth's metoric career ever since "Charlie Brown" and I've never heard her voice in lovelier shape. Ruthie Henshall sang like Jo Stafford, Christopher Fitzgerald was so very funny and gave us a heartfelt "Brother Can You Spare A Dime", Capathia Jenkins was sizzling in the raunchy "My Handy Man Ain't Handy No More", Jenn Gambatase was a charming soubrette in the Garrick Gaieties numbers, songs I've been familiar with through the antique sheet music and now they came to life in front of my happy eyes.
"Stairway to Paradise" is brilliantly assembled and has been directed with the inimitable touch of Jerry Zaks, who makes everything he touches seem colorful. Not hard though with this great material featuring songs and sketches by the top Broadway talent of all time: Nora Bayes, Irving Berlin, Eubie Blake, The Gershwins, Rodgers, Hart, Norworth, Rome, Schwartz, Styne, etc.. The choreography by Warren Carlyle was spot on, the orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick expert, and the conducting by Rob Berman smooth as silk.
The breakthrough performance of the tap dancer Kendrick Jones has been noted by just about everyone writing about this show. I felt he grabbed "Stairway to Paradise" by its handsome scruff and walked away with it despite the excellence of everyone else. When Jones danced, you could feel the pulse of the audience racing, the excitement building in the theater. We wanted more from him, much more. The only other time I've experienced this in a musical was when Deborah Yates danced in "Contact" (whatever happened to her? I thought she was headed for stardom). But Jones, what a dancer - the best live tap dancing I've seen, perhaps on a level IMHO worthy of comparison to the legendary Nicholas Brothers. I hope he gets a show on Broadway and soon!
I am so grateful to Encores! - everyone involved, the incomparably talented performers, the intrepid producers, the more often than not inspired management. Year in and year out, they give us this special gift three times a season. When the Encores! comes around, New York, specifically the New York City Center is truly the center of the show business universe, making even the most arduous commute a necessity, a must. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test grade. A+

Blackbird, a play by David Harrower at the Manhattan Theatre Club, New York City Center Stage 1, starring Jeff Daniels and Alison Pill, directed by Joe Mantello. "Blackbird" is a two hander that is 90 minutes of hell, punctuated at the conclusion with a sharp swift kick to the guts. With two astonishing performances by Jeff Daniels (haunting) and Alison Pill (coiled, conflicted fury), and a searingly effective set by Scott Pask, this is a play that will stay with you for a long time. It is not to be missed. We had a particuarly difficult commute getting to the matinee, the GW Bridge was closed, the Lincoln Tunnel jammed. No matter. "Blackbird"gets an A+

Orfeo ed Euridice, an opera by Gluck. Metropolitan Opera House. James Levine conducting; David Daniels (Orfeo), Maija Kovalevska (Euridice), Heidi Grant Murphy (Amor), directed and choreographed by Mark Morris. When this production was first announced, there were four geniuses associated with the new mounting of Gluck’s masterwork: James Levine (conductor), Isaac Mizrahi (costume designer) Mark Morris (choreographer and director) and the sublime Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. The tragic death of Lorraine Hunt Lieberson forced a major shift in the focus of the production and her place was taken by a countertenor, David Daniels. For one thing, it is unlikely that the 1762 version of Orfeo (the first by Gluck) would have been used for Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. My guess is it would have been the brilliant 19th century adaptation by Berlioz (based on Gluck’s 1774 version) or a mixed version along the lines most familiar to opera goers and as was used the last time the Met staged the opera (1970).
Because the Met no longer has a powerhouse Orfeo (perhaps it was too late to sign mezzo sopranos of the caliber of Anne Sofie Von Otter, Susan Graham, Joyce di Donato, or Magdalena Kozena to name just a handful), the major shift occurring in this new production has the centrality of interest residing squarely in the dance, the chorus (both always crucial in Gluck) the ideal conducting by James Levine, the splendid Euridice of Maija Kovalevska and the colorful and dramtic sets and costumes. Not that David Daniels is at all bad. He gives as good as he has to give, smooth countertenor singing, generalized emotions, sincerity (his best asset in my opinion) but he lacks the power in the key moments – his cries of “Euridice!” do not register and his “Trionfi Amore” which launches the glorious conclusion is underpowered.
All of this being said this evening’s performance and new production was a great triumph. It all begins with the conducting of James Levine. I’ve seen many performances of the 1762 Orfeo and have heard every recording as well. Levine’s is by far the best conducting, fast when needed, tender and always expressive -- I have never heard the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra play better. Most all modern productions of Orfeo, both live and on records have eschewed the dance, so the conductors (mostly of the early music variety like John Eliot Gardiner) have raced through the dance movements like they’re late for a train. Here, for once, the dances are conducted for dancers. How wonderful to hear and to see! At last, here is an opera production at the Met in which the all important dance elements have been given equal treatment with the vocal. Mark Morris once devised an Orfeo production in Brooklyn that was all dance. It was a marvelous experience, but as part of this ensemble, he is even better here. His dances are inspired from first to last (those last gloriously happy dances are like the sun itself). I’ve discussed the virtues and shortcomings of David Daniels. He has a big following and they will not be disappointed. He was lustily cheered. Heidi Grant Murphy sang sweetly but she seemed to have a little trouble getting her words out, and her sound was small. She was very charming however and the audience loved her. Maija Kovalevska was fabulous as Euridice; singing with a powerful but always clear and rich tone, she nailed a perfect trill in her aria. She was lovely to look at and was affecting as the revived beloved wife.
The sets will be controversial perhaps. Big unit sets which take a lot of groaning movement from stage hands do allow for the effective placement of the chorus who are very active. This surprising chorus is made up of dead celebrities from the past including Lincoln, Mark Twain, Henry VIII, Oscar Wilde, Gandhi and even Babe Ruth. I’m guessing the inspiration comes from the Powell and Pressberger film “Stairway to Heaven.” I loved it, but some may not. There is an enormous staircase which is a metaphor that I found profound. But this was not all seriousness. Amor capers quite a bit and people expecting gloomy Gluck will be surprised to find themselves laughing at times. All in all this was marvelous and when a truly great Orfeo takes center stage, it will be pure magic. As it is, I give it a solid A- in the Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test.