Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test

The Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test is our personal and highly opinionated Commuter's Guide to New York theater and cultural events, with an emphasis on Broadway and Off-Broadway theatrical productions. The test is simple: is an event worth the always expensive, time consuming, and too often horrendous struggle to commute to New York City from New Jersey, Long Island, Upstate New York or Connecticut? Only truly great or near-great performances and productions may meet this stiff challenge!

About Me

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Location: Princeton, New Jersey, United States

James Camner is an antiquarian dealer of autographs, manuscripts and printed music and books of Opera, Classical Music, Theater, Dance, and Film, as well as a published author of more than 10 books on the performing arts including "How to Enjoy Opera" (Simon and Schuster), "The Great Opera Stars in Historic Photographs" (Dover), "Stars of American Musical Theater in Historic Photographs" (Dover - with Stanley Appelbaum); was for over 20 years a reviewer for Fanfare Magazine and has written feature articles and reviews for Opera News.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

On The Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green at the New York City Center Encores! Starring Jessica Lee Goldyn, Tony Yazbeck, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Christian Borle, Andrea Martin and Leslie Kritzer, conducted by Todd Ellison. This is a flat out, incredibly joyous revival of the magically evergreen musical by then 20 somethings Bernstein, Comden and Green (and Jerome Robbins). Dating from 1944, this evocation of war time New York strikes a chord today. What a cast! Leslie Kritzer is a knockout in the Nancy Walker role of Hildy, Tony Yazbeck is superb as Gaby - surely big future Broadway stardom beckons for him - and Jessica Lee Goldyn as Ivy, the Sono Osato role, brims with glowing youthful beauty, vitality, grace and joy in her dancing, singing and acting. It was fun to watch Goldyn grin with pleasure in the talk back in hearing the reminiscenes of the great Sono Osato herself. Todd Ellison conducted Bernstein's masterful score with vigor and the choreography of Robbins was splendidly recreated and augmented by Warren Carlyle. This is one of the very best Encores! revivals. Few performances remain. Do anything to see it. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test grade A+

posted by James Camner | 10:27 PM

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