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| London calling: Daniel Radcliffe plays the lead in 'Equus' (top left), a huge hit in the West End last year. Carol Rosegg/ap |
Broadway measures the mood and pulls out dark revivals
Fall theater opens with classics such as Chekhov's 'The Seagull' and Miller's 'All My Sons,' plus a little light relief in 'Billy Elliot' and 'Shrek.'
from the October 17, 2008 edition
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'13'
The celebrated young composer Jason Robert Brown, whose résumé boasts a notorious Broadway bomb with "Parade" back in 1998 and a regional theater hit with "The Last Five Years," is back with a brand-new musical, "13." This time he's put aside weighty subjects like the disintegration of a marriage and the lynching of a Jewish man in the South to focus on something a little more accessible. His latest show, about a Jewish kid from New York who moves to the sticks after his parents divorce, centers on the thrilling, angst-ridden, and awkward years of adolescence and learning to accept yourself for who you are.
'Shrek The Musical'
In a crass attempt to cash in on recent name-brand hit films, it seems that producers are willing to adapt just about anything for the stage. The latest gambit? A Broadway musical based on that uncouth yet lovable green ogre, Shrek, made famous in the box-office-smashing 2001 film and subsequent sequels (previews begin Nov. 8; it opens Dec. 14). Although this may sound like a ridiculous proposition, the creative team for "Shrek The Musical" gives us hope that the show won't be a complete disaster – Pulitzer Prize-winner David Lindsay-Abaire ("Rabbit Hole") penned the book and lyrics, the wonderful Jeanine Tesori (of "Caroline, or Change" fame) wrote the score, and Jason Moore (who guided "Avenue Q") is directing. Plus, it can't hurt to have the charismatic Brian d'Arcy James and Sutton Foster as your leads. Critics in Seattle, where the show had a pre-Broadway tryout, were charmed.
'Pal Joey'
While skepticism may be greeting "Shrek," one musical (revival) that seems to be generating buzz is "Pal Joey," the 1940 Rodgers and Hart gem that revolves around the cocksure title cad (played by Christian Hoff from "Jersey Boys") who never met a woman he didn't want to seduce. The show is considered overdue for a major revival thanks to its compelling story and indelible score (including such memorable tunes as "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" and "I Could Write a Book"). Two of Broadway's best actresses, Stockard Channing and Martha Plimpton, will provide the production with dramatic heft. Previews begin Nov. 14; it opens Dec. 11.
'Dividing the Estate'
In Horton Foote's comedy "Dividing the Estate," a fading, old-money Texas clan squabbles over its inheritance, with the nonagenarian playwright slyly shining a light on the excesses of American economic prosperity that we've long taken for granted. The play, which is transferring to the Main Stem after a successful run off-Broadway, stars Elizabeth Ashley, Arthur French, and Horton Foote's daughter, Hallie. Previews begin Oct. 23; it opens Nov. 20.
'A Man for All Seasons'
Finally, we have a man of great moral principle who sought to do the right thing, but was blocked by corrupt and jealous political adversaries. Broadway veteran Frank Langella returns as chancellor Sir Thomas More in the revival of Robert Bolt's "A Man For All Seasons." Something of an odd choice for revival, the play concerns the political and moral face-off between Sir Thomas and Henry VIII over the king's wish to break with the Roman Catholic Church so he can divorce Catherine of Aragon, who's unable to bear him a son, and marry another, Anne Boleyn. Langella nabbed a Tony award in 2007 for playing another historical figure (albeit one of ill repute), Richard Nixon, and he's already generating Oscar buzz for his performance in the film adaptation of "Frost/Nixon," scheduled to hit the big screen in December.
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