Farewell, 2011 (the best and the worst)

I've already organized the theater shows I saw in 2011 into categories ranging from Best Ever to Kill Me Now. So I'm doing a different kind of wrap-up post here.

2SD's favorite things about theater in 2011, in no particular order:

* Steven Hoggett took over the city. On stages across New York City this year, you could see Hoggett's magic in theatricalizing the history of the Scottish military's Black Watch, Green Day's disaffected Aughts soundtrack American Idiot, the otherwise-awkward Peter Pan retelling Peter and the Starcatcher, and the stage adaptation of the Irish indie-darling film Once (at NYTW and now transferring to Broadway).

* We found out that the Handspring Puppet Company exists. Their puppet horses made a bleak WWI children's story a hit (but also proved that the Tonys need separate categories for playwriting and production). I actually hated the treacly story of War Horse, but all the design and puppetry aspects of the production are fantastic. The National Theatre knows how to make a gorgeous, stunning production (see also Frankenstein, below). And the puppets are unbelievable in their believability. I trust we'll see more from Handspring in coming years, and I can't wait.

* London's National Theatre took pity on those of us stuck on this side of the pond by screening awesome productions in movie theaters. Thanks to National Theatre Live, which screened both versions of Danny Boyle's lead-swapping Frankenstein play, I got to see my longtime movie obsession Jonny Lee Miller and my current TV obsession Benedict Timothy Carleton Cumberbatch (best name ever) swap roles as Dr. Frankenstein and his Creature. It's one of the most visually stunning things I've ever "seen" on stage. I wish it would kick War Horse out of the Vivian Beaumont Theater immediately. Alas, I missed the screening of One Man, Two Guvnors--but I definitely plan to see James Corden in it on Broadway this season. And I really wish they'd broadcast Sinéad Cusack and Ciarán Hinds in Juno and the Paycock.

* We got a second chance to savor the perfection of Martin McDonagh's The Cripple of Inishmaan. I first saw this Druid production at the Atlantic Theater in Feb. 2009, and it is still the most perfect performance of anything I have ever seen on stage (just edging out Conor McPherson's The Seafarer on Broadway). I'm not sure why it didn't transfer to Broadway, but I'm so glad it went on a short U.S. tour so that I could enjoy it again. I love ArtsEmerson for bringing shows like this to Boston. I wish they could convince National Theatre Scotland to bring us Black Watch.

* Stephen Karam rewarded Roundabout Underground's investment in the young playwright. Sons of the Prophet in Boston in the spring and the streamlined production that just closed in New York showed the same wit as Karam's Speech & Debate and much more depth. I really love the play and hope Karam continues to work on it. If it doesn't jump to Broadway, it should have a great future in regional theaters.

* Anything Goes had an awesome, never-ending tap number. It lost a bit of its surprise by being blasted via every medium to advertize the show, but HOLY CRAP that performance is amazing to see live.

* The Normal Heart ripped ours out. I am not being hyperbolic when I say that this play inspired me to change my life. I'll post more about that in a few weeks. (Also, it gave rise to Ellen Barkin's F-bombing Twitter domination campaign.)

* Reed Birney was perpetually employed. As he should be. The most natural everyman I've ever seen on stage. His sheer honesty in every moment grounded even Adam Rapp's increasingly bizarre Dreams of Flying Dreams of Falling.

* Mark Rylance made two fairly gross characters kind of hot and sexy. In the same season. He won the Tony for his jaw-dropping performance as Rooster in Jerusalem, but I think his work in La Bête was even more impressive. He made a twenty-minute monologue (an exaggeration, surely, but it was wicked long)--part of which was delivered while he was flatulently on the pot--riveting and almost charming, even in pompous, rhyming couplets. Rylance's awards acceptance speeches are themselves award-worthy (2011 and 2008).

* DanRad is a righteous dude. Daniel Radcliffe proved himself to be a true theater fan and completely a dedicated performer. He can come back to Broadway any day. Or out with me for a cup of coffee. Or out to a drag show with me. Or whatever, really. He seems charming and hilarious, and I can't wait for the next time Susan Blackwell gets a hold of him.

* Michael Esper got around. His excellent character development made the couch-ridden Will a character to watch even amid American Idiot's visual barrage of violent choreography and sensory-overloading projections. After he got off the couch, he turned in a beautiful performance in Tony Kushner's new play iHomo and went crazy-pants in Nicky Silver's The Lyons. He did a couple things at Vassar/NY Stage and Film over the summer. And he's just been announced for Assistance at Playwrights Horizons with Bobby Steggert, and that makes me wicked happy. Oh, and on the side, he formed an as-yet-unnamed punk band with fellow Idiots Johnny Gallagher and Gerard Canonico (see photos below).

2SD's least-favorite things about theater in 2011:

* War Horse got the Tony for best play. Just ... NO.

* People created musicals that somehow made awesome things boring. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert made drag queens boring. Catch Me If You Can made one of history's most famous con men boring. And Bonnie & Clyde made sexy, deadly, road-tripping bank robbers boring. How is that even possible?

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Here, have some pretty! Look at the bromance! Now with bonus ginger beard!





Michael Esper and John Gallagher Jr. having some bro moments at Rockwood with their unnamed punk band (Gerard Canonico was stuck behind the drum kit)

Photos by Monica Simoes, from Playbill.com

How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying

http://www.howtosucceedbroadway.com

As with The Motherf**ker with the Hat, How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying wasn't high on my priority list. Big-name stars means expensive crappy seats and often lead actors who would never get cast if they weren't already famous. But as I mentioned in my weekend wrap-up, I was pretty much out of shows to see.

Despite my reluctance, the show had much to recommend it:

• A friend of mine who ushers the show is completely in love with it
• Ex-Idiot Mary Faber was excellent in the previous two musicals and one play I've seen her in (Saved! and Idiot, The Corn Is Green)
• Christopher Hanke was a charming high point in the seriously lackluster Cry-Baby musical (By the way, where is James Snyder now, and why is he not somewhere on stage singing to me???)
• John Larroquette did get a Tony for this role
• Daniel Radcliffe was quite good in Equus, even though I didn't love that show overall (but, seriously, how cool was that Playbill cover?)
  

So H2S had a decent chance of not sucking, and I went into the show in fairly good spirits, even as I hauled ass up to the very last row of the balcony. Which, stunningly, had a great view. And (yay!) the show totally did not suck. It was even good, but I still wished for more.

I love fluffy musicals like The Music Man and Bye Bye Birdie (recent disastrous Broadway production aside) and even Grease (at least the recent horrendous Broadway production gave us Laura Osnes). So H2S should have been right up my street. Instead I found it a bit dull (the show, not the production). Perhaps with better leads I might have enjoyed the story more.

I know that Radcliffe and Larroquette were the big draws for the sell-out crowd, but the show really belongs to Mary Faber's hilarious turn as Smitty and Rose Hemingway's jaw-droppingly-gorgeous voice. Seriously, this is Hemingway's Broadway debut? Just ... wow. I would like her to sing to me every day, please (though perhaps not enough to pick up the cast recording--I don't remember any of the songs!). And as much as he tries to steal the show, Christopher Hanke's schtick gets old really quickly (he's seriously adorable, though, and I really do love him).

So, back to Radcliffe and Larroquette. Kudos to these guys, who are clearly having the time of their lives. And I'm pretty sure they're BFFs now, which is completely charming. These are two hard-working dudes. If they threw themselves into this show any harder, they'd break something. It's hard not to cheer for them because they are clearly so dedicated and obviously in love with their jobs (and, as it was the opening weekend for the last Harry Potter movie ever, the audience went INSANE at a trillion points during the show). Still, regardless of how much I love both actors, this show is stretching their musical-theater talent to its limit. Their singing and dancing is adequate. And their personal charm carries them along quite well (although Radcliffe lacks a bit of smarm and is just a bit too likeable for the role). All that doesn't change the fact that I'd rather have seen real MT stars in these roles.

A second round of kudos for Radcliffe, who is refreshingly brave in his career and public-persona choices. In addition to his role in Equus requiring full nudity (and, trust me, I did not need to see the full Harry--ever), the demanding role could have gone horribly wrong, and the material was a risky choice for someone still in the middle of filming such a family-friendly franchise. The same for his hilarious turn as a want-to-be womanizer and chain smoker in an episode of Ricky Gervais's funniest series, Extras. He is also a loud supporter of LGBT rights, speaks out frequently for The Trevor Project's crusade to prevent teen suicide, and never felt the need to clarify for the press his relationship with trans singer-songwriter Our Lady J (read the excellent Out article where she interviews him). It would be difficult for me to love Daniel Radcliffe any more than I already do. To fall in love with him for yourself, look no further than the video of his Trevor Project speech in my earlier post.




[ETA: So much love for this dude for never missing a performance during his run as Finch. Well played, boy wizard.]

Weekend in review/Yay Daniel Radcliffe (July 16-17, 2011)

Last weekend, I somehow managed to run out of things I was particularly interested in seeing in New York. (I'm waiting to see The Book of Mormon, Anything Goes, Follies, and Master Class with a friend in August.) So, I decided to just take a leap and see a few Broadway shows that other people have been praising (either on Theater Talk or with Tony nominations).

I got cheap tickets through Audience Rewards points to Born Yesterday and How to Succeed in Business without Even Trying and a cheap(ish) nosebleed seat for The Motherf**cker with the Hat. I wasn't terribly excited about any of them, but I allowed for the possibility that I'd be pleasantly surprised.

Born Yesterday closed early, so I replaced it with Classic Stage Company's Unnatural Acts, an off-Broadway play (with a bit of singing and some choreographed movement) about Harvard's Secret Court of 1920, which aimed to clear out homosexual activity from campus. And I added a late-night performance of Silence! The Musical at Theatre 80. Yes, a musical parody of the Silence of the Lambs movie.

I'll post separate reviews later, but here's a preview: I enjoyed Acts but hated Hat. I mean HATED. Perhaps that's partly why I enjoyed the awesomely low-brow Silence! so much--almost anything would have been enjoyable in comparison to Hat. And How to Succeed was very charming, with Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette really, really, really giving it their all. Neither is particularly a natural for musical theater--especially in a show that's so dance heavy--but those guys WORK. The audience absolutely loved everything they did. I mean EVERYTHING they did. But I get it: I adore Dan Rad, too. (I haven't managed to see very last ever Harry Potter movie yet, but I think seeing him on stage is a fine substitute for now.)

Yes, "Dan Rad" is a sickeningly twee nickname, but I have adopted it anyway because he is actually quite rad. In addition to being quite serious about acting, he's well spoken--and outspoken. He's using his power for good by speaking freely and often in favor of equal rights, admitting to his decision to give up alcohol in an effort to help others who might be in the same situation, and lending continued support to The Trevor Project, which helps people (especially LGBTQ teens) who are considering suicide. Really, how can you help but love the guy?

The Trevor Project's suicide-prevention hotline number is 866-488-7386. Please share it with anyone who might need it.