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!

Name:
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, March 22, 2008

South Pacific, a musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Lincoln Center Theater at the Vivian Beaumont starring Kelli O'Hara and Paulo Szot, directed by Bartlett Sher. "South Pacific" is the only Rodgers and Hammerstein masterpiece that has never had a Broadway revival since its historic 1949 premiere. Now at last this towering musical, perhaps the most majestic of all their works, is back and in a production and performance that are close to ideal. When the revival was announced it was immediately clear that the logical choice for Nellie Forbush would be Kelli O'Hara, a brilliantly talented performer. She does not disappoint in giving a brave performance of intelligence, grace and subtlety and which builds to a powerful climax. Her singing is very beautiful and controlled, the loveliest singing I've heard in this score, possibly even more skillful than the great Mary Martin for whom it was written. O'Hara makes the character of Nellie, warts and all, fully her own creation, one that is quite different from the exuberance of Martin. O'Hara is quieter and more restrained, but when she lets loose with "I'm in Love With A Wonderful Guy," her joy and ours is unrestrained. Her acting in the part is perfection. But if the Nellie was easily cast, not so Emile De Becque, a part that was indelibly created by Ezio Pinza, merely the greatest operatic bass of the 2oth Century. But miracle of miracles, the young opera singer Paulo Szot also creates his own character, and sings the music with enormous beauty of tone and feeling, bringing the house down with "This Nearly Was Mine." Szot, like O'Hara, acts his part to perfection. My wife and I both felt the presence of Pinza's benevolent ghost hovering over Szot. He's wonderful.
The rest of the cast is excellent. Tonight, we had an understudy as Lt. Cable, Andrew Samonsky. If the regular Cable is better, than he must be extraordinary because Samonsky was outstanding. We liked the rough Bloody Mary of Lauretta Ables Sayre (though she does not efface the memory of Juanita Hall) and enjoyed the Luther Billis of Danny Burstein. The conducting of Ted Sperling was masterful. The luxury of hearing this grand score played by a full orchestra, the effect of the underscoring, cannot be overestimated. The direction by Bartlett Sher and the sets and costumes are also perfection. Revivals do not get better than this. "South Pacific" is still in previews, but it is already nearly sold out. Do anything to get a ticket. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test. A+

Saturday, March 08, 2008

Dead Man's Cell Phone, a play by Sarah Ruhl. Playwrights Horizons, starring Mary Louise Parker and Kathleen Chalfant, directed by Anne Bogart. This is the third play we've seen by the young genius of a playwright, Sarah Ruhl. Compared to "Eurydice" (a modern masterpiece that is already playing all over the country - in fact it's being done at Princeton this week as a student thesis), and "The Clean House", we found "Dead Man's Cell Phone" slightly uneven. At its considerable best it's a comic metaphysical meditation on the ubiquity and absurdity of life in the cell phone era, and a romantic story that transcends time and space. These are weighty themes that are mixed in with the absurdest hijinks's for which Sarah Ruhl is celebrated. But the conclusion felt rushed, the bits with a BBQ and a karate fight each landed like a thud. But these were the exceptions in an otherwise charming and witty, and very thoughtfully observed play that featured an amazing monologue by T. Ryder Smith (the dead man) and a vintage performance by the great Mary Louise Parker. With a little work, this lovely tragic comic romance could be another masterpiece. Even short of that, it's a must see in the growing repertory of one of America's most original young playwrights. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test A-

King Arthur, a Masque by Purcell. The New York City Opera. The real star of this delightful confection based on Purcell's King Arthur is the great choreographer Mark Morris and his brilliant company of beautiful dancers, the Mark Morris Dance Group. While the story line is more or less a series of pastoral vignettes, the wit and imagination of Morris and the designers Isaac Mizrahi and Adrianne Lobel bring a unifying wittiness and enormous charm to the whole. Though the singers are less prominent, the young and lovely soprano Melissa Fogarty, a last minute replacement scored a triumph, singing with delectable and highly skillful coloratura and is surely on her way to a successful career. But in the end, it's all about the dancing and staging and this was a riotous joy from start to the great Frost Scene, the Maypole Dance and the glorious and happy conclusion. The audience left the theater on a palpable high. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test. B+

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Lucia di Lammermoor, an opera by Gaetano Donizetti. Metropolitan Opera House, starring Natalie Dessay and Giuseppe Filianoti. Simply put, this is one of the great performances one will ever see of this beautiful old opera. Dessay gives the performance of a lifetime as Lucia, she IS Lucia, singing with a pure ethereal tone and acting her heart out in the role. To hear Dessay sing the famous "Mad Scene" accompanied by a glass harmonica is a revelation. I will never forget it. The fine young Italian tenor Giuseppe Filianoti is a find: a genuine Italian tenor with a lovely voice. At times he sounded like a young Tagliavini. Fine conducting by Joseph Colaneri (substituting for an ailing James Levine) and splendid playing by the orchestra, with achingly beautiful harp and cello solos. The production by the brilliant Mary Zimmerman updates the opera to the 19th Century making it a Victorian ghost story, more Wilkie Collins than Walter Scott, but this worked beautifully. Edward Gorey would have loved it. We did. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test grade A+