The National Touring Company of "Moulin Rouge!" Is a Wonderfully Wild, Flashy, Seductive Musical Spectacle

 

By James V. Ruocco

(Now on tour through September 1, 2024)

There's much to admire about the National Touring Company of "Moulin Rouge!" the Tony Award-winning musical based on Baz Luhrmann's hypnotic, wildly energetic 2002 motion picture that starred Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor draped in technicolor madness, offset by catchy jukebox music choices, splashy colors, styles and genres and sumptuous Parisian backdrops that cried "Paris est pour les amoureux, à la fois romantiques et condamnés." 

So, let us begin.
On stage, the dazzling, artistic nightclub district of 19th century Montmartre sparkles with rich Bohemian allure, entrapment and intoxication.
The thick, vintage layers of fabric draped around the sets and backdrops glitter with dusty artist twinkle, flavor and French atmospheric influence.
The musical's big "Moulin Rouge!" sign - bathed in shiny, red, seductive lights that heat up every now and then - is a jaw-dropping sight to behold that casts its spell upon welcoming theatergoers as they take their seats, row by row, in the vast audience space before them.
Derek McLane's atmospheric set design is spectacle worthy with dreamlike dashes of fantasy, blaze, sexiness and shimmer.
Catherine Zuber's enticing costume design enhances the story's romantic tale of love and doom with couture specificity and refinement.
As Christian, Christian Douglas is appropriately dreamy as the romantic leading man of the "Moulin Rouge!" musical narrative.
In the role of Satine, the doomed, consumption-ridden heroine of the "Moulin Rouge!" fairy tale, Gabrielle McClinton, is so fiery, sensual and enticing, the seductive beauty and presence of her confident characterization radiates throughout the entire theatrical venue.

But first, let's backtrack.
As musical theatre, "Moulin Rouge!" flashes and shines with crazed, brilliantly timed execution, nostalgia and flamboyance. There's plenty of money, talent, energy, pyrotechnics and color to burn, making it "a hot ticket" for pretty much every single theatergoer in the audience - gay, straight, non-binary, transgender, confused or not-too-sure - willing to succumb to a glorious, hypnotic sound-and-sight show that never once fails to titillate, entertain or work one up into an emotional lather that lingers long after the musical has ended and the cast unite as one for their final curtain calls.
It's obvious to everyone that no expense has been spared - the show has cost millions to replicate on tour - to create this lavish, lush, immersive extravagance.
Unfortunately, the reworked book by John Logan, a playwright who tweaks parts of the original story for Broadway-inspired onslaught, debauchery and madness, often flatlines, if only fleetingly, as does certain dialogue and uninspired story arcs that interrupt the musical's push-and pull fantasia and giddyap.
Regardless, the musical's recognizable pop tunes and delightfully pumped-up staging and choreography thrust "Moulin Rouge!" back into the spotlight with enough oomph and splash to camouflage its paper-thin, age-old plot contrivances. 

As scripted by Logan, "Moulin Rouge!" replays the story of Christian, a handsome, destitute bohemian songwriter from Ohio who finds himself in the throes of the resplendent, late 19th century Moulin Rouge district of Paris where he falls immediately in love with Satine, a beautiful courtesan and nightclub star coveted by the very wealthy Duke of Monroth who has earmarked the sultry enchantress as the pièce de résistance in his gallery of paramours unaware of her love for Christan, her intended deception, her fatal illness or secret pact with the club owners to use the Duke's social position and wealth to save the Montmartre-based cabaret from financial ruin.

The heart and soul of "Moulin Rouge!" however, comes from its glittering array of jukebox songs, which, upon glancing back, were one of the key components of the 2002 motion picture. Mixing important elements from Hollywood movie musicals and popular Broadway musicals alongside opera (mainly Puccini's "La Boheme"), vaudeville and supper club entertainment, Luhrmann's pastiche of songs, lyrics, melodies and formats lent themselves nicely to the story and the film's vintage 19th century Parisian backdrop.

Shifting the action from screen to stage, Logan and the show's collaborators have quadrupled the musical's playlist of popular songs and showstoppers - much to the delight of everyone on stage and in the audience - with full blown numbers, mash ups, lyrical teases, love songs, duets, character spins, ensemble turns, cabaret leaps, inserts, snippets, vocal dramaturgy, remixes and outrageous, giant leaps of faith that reflect the beaming, dazzling backdrop of Montmartre and its pivotal, revolutionary players to full-on excitement, enticement and exhibition.
This flash-bang-whiplash-wallop of musicality and bohemian ideals comes gift wrapped with energy-induced offerings famously originated by the likes of Lady Gaga, Police, Madonna, OutKast, Pink, Beyonce, Marilyn Monroe, Adele, Gnarls Barkley, Britney Spears, Soft Cell, The Eurythmics, Rihanna, White Stripes, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Sia, Walk the Moon, Katy Perry, Rick Astley, Shirley Bassey, Lorde, T- Rex, The Beatles, No Doubt, Tina Turner and Dolly Parton, among others.
It's a concept of bold moves and musical cards that pumps the already adrenaline-fueled "Moulin Rouge!" into applause worthy proportions of interpretive specificity, gorgeous encores, lustful preening and parading and head-on, note-perfect directness and embracement.
Getting top placement are "Diamonds Are Forever," "Bad Romance," "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," "Children of the Revolution," "Sympathy for the Devil," "The Sound of Music," "So Fresh, So Clean," "Lady Marmalade," "Royals," "We Are Young," "Material Girl," "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," "Firework," "Toxic," "Come What May," "Seven Nation Army," "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," "Shut Up and Dance,"  "Tainted Love," "Roxanne," "Chandelier," Rolling in the Deep," "Crazy," "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Every Breath You Take," "All You Need is Love," "Don't Speak," "What's Love Got to Do With It?" and "I Will Always Love You."
The pleasure that comes from hearing one song hit after another is credited to musical director Andrew Graham, a talented musician whose expressive depth, showmanship and intuitive rattle and roar fills "Moulin Rouge!" with a proud musical glow that is both joyous and luminous, mixed lovingly with achievement, shimmer, delivery and agenda. It's a truthful, silvery collaboration of orchestral showpieces, melodies and morsels that prompt immediate attention to the storytelling, its snap and sparkle, its romantic anticipation and its tinges of fantasia, chaos and rapture. Sonya Taveh's snappy, effective, significant choreography heightens the excitement with extravagant dance entertainment reflective of movie musicals, concerts, MTV videos and big, glossy Broadway productions.

Staging "Moulin Rouge!" director Alex Timbers ("Beetlejuice," "Here Lies Love," "Guttenberg! The Musical!") crafts an event-worthy pop musical that immerses its audience in the bacchanalian splendor and fantasy of the narrative, its storied Paris setting, its bohemian clientele, its navigated schtick and its playful mix of humor, reflection, sentiment, deceit and seduction. The script's subsequent lack of character and emotion occasionally knocks Timbers off his creative box from time to time, but he quickly moves past these odd, one-note interruptions with colorful choices, expressions and intentions that thrust "Moulin Rouge!" back into orbit with balance, feeling and anchored composition. He also has the pleasure of working with a cast of watchable, talented performers - principals, supporting players, ensemble - who bring plenty of heart, soul and spectacle to the piece and its curated, proven list of one hit pop song after the other.

In the lead role of Satine, the beautiful cabaret star and courtesan of the Moulin Rouge nightclub who is forced to seduce the wealthy Duke of Monroth to keep the Parisian venue from going bankrupt, Gabrielle McClinton dominates the musical with a tour-de-force performance of independence, glitter, sensuality and star power that reaches out far beyond the theater's proscenium wall to taunt, entice and arouse every heterosexual male in the audience willing to succumb to her to hypnotic allure, charm and beauty as both theatergoer and voyeur. 
Throughout the production, she never once loses touch with the emotion, thrill and heartbreak of the piece or the fact that her character, who will eventually die of consumption before the musical's big mega mix finish, is part of a tragic fairy tale of which there is no escape or happy ending. Her romantic entanglement with the handsome Christian explodes with real warmth and trigger as does her many musical numbers that dominate the stage with an MTV bravura that is seamlessly integrated with a nightclub feel and aura reminiscent of Paris in the 1890's and the concert-going thrill of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s all rolled into one. Vocally, she brings a standout voice and snap to the stage, mixed with sass, buzz, vintage burlesque and three-ring circus bounce and flair.

As Christian, the struggling young artist and composer who comes to Paris to escape his stifling life in America, the boyish and dreamy Christian Douglas is the perfect fit for the part of the justifiably innocent songwriter and composer from America who wanders into the bohemian, red-light district world of the Moulin Rouge and falls instantly in love with Satine, the club's diamant scintillant à l’état brut.
Like his glamourous leading lady, Douglas plays his role with both enthusiasm, sway and pop tune magic, resulting in a polished, magnetic performance of energy and sexiness that leaves you saying, "Aaron, who?" 
He's focused. He's confident. He's charming. He's committed. He's sweet. He's lost in the moment. He's genuine. He's the real deal.
Vocally, his flair for musical theatre is a happy explosion of balance, appreciation and confetti, laced with shine, purpose, inspiration and concept. He quickly transports his audience into another world and dimension - part fantasy, part glamour, part time travel - naturally fulfilling the musical's sensory exhilaration, flamboyance and groove. It's in his eyes. It's in his smile. It's in his movements. It's in his voice. It's in his expressions.

Robert Petkoff, in the pivotal, scene-stealing role of Harold Zidler, the welcoming ringleader, owner and emcee of the decadent and inviting Moulin Rouge nightclub, delivers a dazzling, delicious, ridiculously entertaining performance that commands your attention whenever he's onstage. He has great fun with the role, investing it with the thrill and spill the part call calls, but making it very much his own.

"Tina: The Tina Turner Musical" - An Homage to the Legendary Singer Like No Other

By James V. Ruocco
(Now on tour through August 4, 2024) 

It's an experience you're not likely to forget anytime soon.

"As long as I have people's attention, I can't stop. You can't put the public on hold, because they might not be there when you get back."

(Tina Turner)

Never have more truer words been spoken.

Watching the thrilling, megawatt-ignited National Touring edition of "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical" connect with pretty much every single person in the audience is just one of the many joys of this hypnotic British musical which, originally, got its start in London's West End back in 2018 and debuted on Broadway one year later only to be suspended in March 2020 by the COVID 19 pandemic and resume New York performances in October 2021.

Five years later - now on tour and still playing in London at the Aldwych Theatre - the spotlight continues to shine on Tina Turner with no chance of slowing down anytime soon.

"Tina: The Tina Turner Musical" thrives on that very notion.
As musical theatre, it's in a class by itself.

The production itself draws you in with seductive, brilliantly formulated theatricality. 
It's moving. It's emotional. It's uplifting. It's heartfelt.
The music solidifies the range, dynamic and emotion of the story.
The staging surges with electricity and impassioned explosion.
The concert vibe created night-after-night before an excited, appreciative crowd erupts with confidence, rush and impressive conclusion.
Everyone - principals, supporting cast members, ensemble - is exactly right for the roles they are asked to portray.
The entire production is a masterclass in musical theatre.
It is also executive produced by Tina Turner herself and her current husband Erwin Bach.
She wouldn't have it any other way.

Music, heartache, violence, domestic abuse, parental abandonment, prejudice, bad career choices, first love, waiting for the big break, touring, pop chart dominance, following your heart, crossing over - all that and more is part of the music legend's story.

Trying to make sense of it all, writers Katori Hall, Kees Prins and Frank Ketelaar fill the two-act musical with useful, challenging and interesting fragments from the singer's life that adapt nicely to the show's page-turning musical format.

It's all here: her early childhood years as Anna-Mae Bullock; her marriage to the hot-headed, abusive, womanizing Ike Turner; the birth of two sons, one of whom was the result of a romantic fling with a musician other than Ike; traveling the R&B and soul circuit in the mid-1960s; achieving moderate success in Europe during the 1970s but not in America; ending her marriage to Ike Turner; building a career with Australian record producer Roger Davies by her side; her pursuit of rock music; meeting music executive Erwin Bach who after 27 years of courtship became her husband; the European release of "Let's Stay Together" and "Private Dancer;" the recording of her first #1 single "What's Love Got to Do with It?" a song she absolutely hated to perform; her major comeback at the 1985 Grammy Awards.
Highs and lows aside, "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical" also comes replete with grim, not-so-pretty reminders about what it meant to be a black recording artist in the 1960's, from prejudiced commentary from white business executives to being denied hotel accommodations because of skin color or being subjected to the frequent use of the N-word. It's all inked and dotted accordingly with details, truths, observations and upsetting, hurtful moments interspersed between the production's vast, important musical numbers.

Billed as a "jukebox biographical musical," "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical" features song hits from the singer's own repertoire mixed with popular songs from the decades to portray her early childhood years in Tennessee and beyond to her eventual rise to stardom as music legend and award-winning rock star.
The songs - eclectic, driven, dynamic, exhilarating - give the story its pulse, set up and shout out, making everything that happens feel relevant and important to the accessible, traveling narrative.
They are (in order of performance): "Etherland -Sound of Mystic Law," "Nutbush City Limits," "Don't Turn Around," "Shake a Tail Feather," "The Hunter," "Rocket 88/ Matchbox," "She Made My Blood Run Cold," "It's Gonna Work Out Fine," "A Fool in Love," "Let's Stay Together," "Better Be Good to Me," "I Want to Take You Higher," "River Deep Mountain High," "Be Tender with Me Baby," "Proud Mary," "I Don't Wanna Fight," "Private Dancer," "Disco Inferno," "Open Arms," "I Can't Stand the Rain," "Tonight," "What's Love Got to Do with It?" "Don't Turn Around (reprise)," "We Don't Need Another Hero," "(Simply) The Best," "Finale: Nutbush City Limits (reprise), "Proud Mary (reprise)."

Flowing together with cemented revolution, liberation and major-key uplift, the songs themselves are assured and fitful, paraded in grand fashion and retreat, thus, fueling and complementing the legend herself and her complicated, sharpened, full-force musical biography. Music director/conductor Anne Shuttleworth ("Les Misérables," "Miss Saigon," "Jesus Christ Superstar") brings rhythmic extremity, flux and punch to the musical score, adapting a free-flowing, exhilarating orchestral style that befits the production's concert-like aura, its nostalgia undercurrents, its jukebox sound and its flavorful beats and percussions.
The conducting itself - bright, attractive, upbeat - keeps the musical afloat for its almost three-hour running time, all of which is fleshed and flung out with tremendous commitment, line and achievement. Vocally, the cast is in fine voice under Shuttleworth's tutelage giving rise to an epic musical journey of great style, tone and tremendous vocal energy.

The National Touring edition of "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical" is helmed by British-born Phyllida Lloyd who directed both the original London and Broadway incarnations of the popular musical. No stranger to theatre, her directorial achievements include "Mamma Mia!" "La Boheme," "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," "The Duchess of Malfi" and "Mary Stuart." Here, she crafts a pungent, consistent musical concert and biography that duly captures the persona of Tina Turner herself, her music, her private life, her success and her refusal to give up even when the cards were completely stacked against her.
The action, the story, the music, the mood swings and the shifting of scenery (the atmospheric set design by Mark Thompson is magnificent) is seamlessly kicked into gear by Lloyd whose staging style and technique complement the proceedings, its thematic flow, its passages of time and place, its live performance vibe, its biographical concept and the high-voltage mini concert at the end of Act II that gets everyone lathered up for the big finish and the standing ovation that quickly follows. It's everything you'd expect from a musical of this caliber and so much more.

Zurin Villanueva, the dynamic actress-singer who shares the lead role of Tina Turner with Ari Groover, channels the music legend's energy, song style, leggy persona and rangy wickedness with such superstar confidence and bravura, the real Turner would surely applaud her performance and participation in this production. As both actress and singer, she is persuasive and emotional, intuitively rising to the demands of the role musically and physically. She not only carries the show, but with a voice and range much like Tina Turner herself, she is truly magnificent.
Handsome, charismatic and completely in touch with his suave, leading man looks, Garrett Turner eases into the part of Turner's manipulative, abusive singer/husband with seriousness, rage, centeredness and chauvinistic standpoint. It's an important role and one he plays to the hilt, showing both the good and bad side of his character, his attraction to women and his need to be the center of attention regardless of the consequences.
Other standout performances are delivered by Ayvah Johnson as Young Anna-Mae, Roz White as Zelma, Lael Van Keuren as Rhonda, Parris Lewis as Alline, Carla R. Stewart as Gran Georgeanna and Max Falls as Erwin Bach.

As musicals go, "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical" is a showstopper of incident, emotion, excitement and roar. 
It's a great theatrical experience. The story is grounded in reality. It matches the energy of the iconic diva it celebrates. The music sizzles and zigzags through the decades. The performances are hot and steamy. And for those who buy a ticket, the payoff is boundless with jackpot proportions.

"Six The Musical" (Aragon Tour) - Is A Cynical, Pop-Fueled, Royal Celebration Times Six

 

By James V. Ruocco

(Now on Tour through July 26, 2024)

"What hurts more than a broken heart?" asks Jane Seymour, the third wife of Henry VIII.

"A severed head," chimes Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII who was beheaded on May 19, 1536, at London's Tower Green for adultery, incest and high treason.

No history lesson, here, as Henry VIII had six wives.
Who were the other four?
Catherine of Aragon. Anna of Cleves. Katherine Howard. Catherine Parr.
How did they die?
Who did what to whom?
Was it love that captivated Henry?
Or was he just looking for someone to bed, wed and give him the next heir (or heirs) to the throne? 

In "Six the Musical," all confusion as to who came first, who died, who survived and who lost their head is cleared up immediately with references to the popular British "Henry VIII Wives' Rhyme."

"Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived."

It's a fun fact - and one of the many - that keeps the slick and sassy "Six the Musical" spinning and turning front, center and sideways in all its spangly Renaissance glory for a full 80 minutes of crafty, ballsy and snarky entertainment that gets the pulses racing, the adrenaline flowing, the hands clapping and pretty much anything else you can toss into the mix.

This is theatre.
Smart.
Sparkly.
Speedy.
Sexy.
Strong.

Fueled by contemporary-styled pop music designed for the music industry's diva-of-the-moment experience, this musical showcase for Henry's perturbed, pissed off, often forgotten royal rejects, "Six The Musical" not only tends to set the record straight with fictionalized star turns - think rock concert - but gives voice to six very different women who time remembers mostly as the wives of Henry VIII and very little else.

As written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, the musical wisely opts for a modern telling of the lives of Henry VIII's wives set against the backdrop of a pop concert that becomes a competition of sorts.

Who suffered the most?
Who has the best story?
Who should become queen?
Who is the true winner?

With the groundwork laid, Marlow and Moss bring plenty of girl-squad power and imagination to their story, interspersed with juicy and playful tidbits about divorce, beheadings, miscarriages, church reformation, childbirth, sexual intercourse and the size of husband Henry's penis. What follows is a detailed, class-ridden investigation that morphs into absolute, sheer fun with biting commentary and deliciously wicked notoriety that never once disappoints or stops the action dead in its tracks.
Here, you get finite jest, cynical voice, targeted observation, marvelous stand-alone quotes and well-orchestrated moments that cut straight to the heart of the juicy drama between the six main female characters.

Musically, "Six The Musical" is told through 13 songs, which navigate the dynamic and rhythmic thrust of the score with distinct, impressive individuality, vamp and acoustic clarity. They are: "Ex-Wives," "Ex-Wives (reprise)," "No Way," "The One You've Been Waiting For," "Don't Lose Your Head," "Heart of Stone," "Haus of Holbein," "Get Down," All You Wanna Do," "I Don't Need Your Love," "I Don't Need Your Love (Remix)," "Six" and "The Megasix (Encore)."
Guided with a sure hand by Marlow and Moss, who wrote both the music and the lyrics, each of the musical numbers is well balanced and immaculately shaped, imbuing song styles and lyrics perfectly in sync with the story, its sarcasm, its irony, its fight for the spotlight, its strongness and its pop diva luster. The onstage band, aptly titled "The Ladies in Waiting" (Jo Ann Daughtery (conductor/keyboard), Janetta Goines (bass), Rose Laguana (guitars) and Paige Durr (drums), heighten that sensation with eschewed distinction, boom, flush and flow that smartly reflects the concert vibe and punch intended by the show's creators. It's affecting. It's splendid. It's telling. It's diverse.

Staging "Six the Musical," co-directors Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage create a perfectly proportioned, emotionally connected production of contrast and tempo that intrigues, delights and overwhelms with its whip smart blend of pop-fueled concert staging and atmospheric crescendo. It's rave and illusion, all rolled into one, offset by individual, animated moments of high-rendered, intricate blocking and staging techniques that change course from moment to moment and song to song. This directorial conceit is sustained throughout the production, and is nicely paired with the dance moves, patterns and synchronized beats and rhythms created by choreographer Carrie-Anne Ingrouille. Since no two numbers are alike, the end result is both splendid and beautifully expressed with masterful subtlety, form, position and invention.

 "Six The Musical" stars Khaila Wilcoxon as Catherine of Aragon, Storm Lever as Anne Boleyn, Jasmine Forsberg as Jane Seymour, Olivia Donalson as Anna of Cleves, Didi Romero as Katherine Howard and Gabriela Carrillo as Catherine Parr.
As the ex-wives of Henry VIII, each actress takes center stage with big, joyful, colorful interpretations that unfold with jolts of energy, charm, sexiness and whipped out diva power. Make no mistake, these women are ready to rock the Queendom, engage in Tudor wordplay, spill the dirt, shake you up and tell their story in liberated, intoxicating Broadway style.
They snark. They amuse. They sneer. They sing. They dance. They excite. They hypnotize.
They work as a team. They support one another. They reenact the spirit of sisterhood. They unite as one.
Musically, every one of their vocals and ensemble numbers are performed with absolute pulse and feeling, ignited by soul, heart, emotion and sincerity. It's the real deal - flawless, magical, feisty and bloody well brilliant.

A musical celebration of the highest order, "Six The Musical" is a colorful, explosive, confident work about six very cool, very outspoken queens who join together as one to sing, dance, chat and converse over royal history in glorious Tudor finery that complement and define their shout-out, volatile, pop-drenched musical stories.
It's front-row-center fun mixed happily with roar, glee and amped up messages of in-your-face feminism that glide across the stage in steamy, high-voltage Technicolor.
It tilts. It snaps. It seduces. It charms. It excites. It beckons.
It's kiss-ass entertainment - 21st century girl power recalling 500 years of British historical heartache and trauma - where the energy never falters, the spell is never broken and the concert vibe it creates lingers long after the six queens disappear into the darkness as the music swells.

"Tootsie" is Sheer, Guilt-Free Fun Rife with Laughter, Star Turns, Romantic Giddiness and Sheer, Non-Stop Energy

 By James V. Ruocco

A man in drag?

The horror?

Not really.

A struggling male actor pretending to be a woman in order to get a part in a brand-new Broadway musical?

O.K.

Bring it on!

(Now on Tour through June 25, 2023)

"Tootsie," the giddy, candy-coated musical adaptation of the popular 1982 movie that starred Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange and Terri Garr comes to the stage with such a nostalgic, unstoppable mindset, the very idea of a straight male putting on a dress and masquerading as a woman with a full-on Equity card membership is jiggered happily to perfection with the gait, twirl, spin and luster of bygone Broadway- and then some.
As musical theatre, its gender-bending plotline is easy to digest or swallow, if you prefer, because it's really all in good fun - i.e., designed solely for entertainment purposes and nothing more.

And just in case you missed it on Broadway back in 2019 at the Marquis Theatre, the National Tour and its fleet of big, important city-to-city venues - grand and glorious with mammoth proscenium stages and sound systems like no other - is the perfect place to enjoy it just the way it was meant to seen when it first played New York four years ago and received 11 Tony Award nominations including Best Musical and won two - Best Performance by a Leading Actor and Best Book of a Musical.

The National Tour on the road through late June 2023 - and perhaps even longer - abounds with giggles galore - in both style and content - mixed and stirred with considered update, emotion, thought and man-in-a-dress hysteria.
The sets, designed by David Rockwell and flanked by breathtaking views of New York City's skylines, are slick, colorful and ingeniously atmospheric.
William Ivy Long's costume design - modern day, Renaissance and 1950's-like Balenciaga - is smart, savvy and specified couture.
The lighting palate, the brainchild of Don Holder, recalls the old-fashioned Broadway musical when Gwen Verdon, Jerry Orbach, Carol Channing and Angela Lansbury were center stage. It is beautiful to the eye and framed with direct, definite narrative inspiration.

Transferring "Tootsie" from screen to stage, playwright Robert Horn gives "the man dressing up as a woman to land an important role" concept a wise, well-fueled update by moving the story from the set of a television soap opera to the rehearsal hall of a brand, new Broadway musical in progress. This, in turn, allows for lots of candor, sarcasm, wit and plenty of inside jokes aimed at actors, producers, auditions, rehearsals, leading ladies, casting directors, writers, backers, reality stars, etc. 
It's a topic Horn knows inside out (he also won the Tony for Best Book of a Musical) and one that produces laughs in all the right places.
Almost everything is pretty much fact based - no surprise there - as Horn turns up the heat on the Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels story while layering the many "Tootsie" subplots with acidic and outrageous banter guaranteed to piss off members of the Broadway theatre world and its snarky, double-talking elite.

Musically, "Tootsie" is set afire with music and lyrics by acclaimed composer David Yasbeck whose Broadway credits include "The Full Monty," "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" and "The Band's Visit." Here, he creates a variety of accessible, pleasant-sounding musical numbers that propel the action forward with rapt equality, signature and melody. They are: "Opening Number," "Whaddya Do," "What's Gonna Happen," "Whaddya Do (reprise)," "I Won't Let You Down," "I'm Alive," "There Was John," "I Like What She's Doing," "Who Are You?" "What's Gonna Happen (reprise)," "Unstoppable," "Jeff Sums It Up," "Gone, Gone, Gone," "Who Are You? (reprise)," "This Thing," "Whaddya Do (reprise)," "The Most Important Night of My Life," "Talk to Me Dorothy," "Arrivederci!" "What's Gonna Happen (reprise)" and "Thank You/Talk to Me Dorothy (reprise)."
The score itself - sweet, hummable and pleasant-sounding show music - is lighthearted and family-friendly - filled to the brim with snappy vocals and ensemble numbers that happily portray the musical's innate sense of comedy, its character-driven renaissance, its channeled charm and its faultless giddyap. At the same time, it's not in the same league as "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" or "The Band's Visit." It's also not something you'd be rushing off to buy from amazon.com anytime soon. It is what it is and that's entirely o.k. Music supervisor Dean Sharenow captures the romantic symphonism of it all with drive, energy, sound and lyrical directness.

Staging "Tootsie," director David Solomon, working from a blueprint of the original Broadway direction by Scott Ellis, is wholeheartedly committed to the musical's standard recipe for success - pure laughter; fun storyline; entertaining accompaniment. For the National Tour edition of the two-act musical, he brings flair, opportunity and eyebrow raise to the piece, punctuated by peppy pacing, swoony melodrama, laugh-a-minute giggling and crafty intoxication. He makes great use of the ensemble - one of the best groups of performers out there - who play a variety of different roles while doubling most effectively as the scene change crew. Also effective is Denis Jones' Broadway style choreography, which, in this go-round, peaks and sizzles with uniformed, undeniable chemistry by every single performer on stage.

"Tootsie" stars Drew Becker as Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels, Ashley Alexandra as Julie Nichols, Payton Reilly as Sandy Lester, Matthew Rella as Max Van Horn, Jared David Michael Grant as Jeff Slater and Adam Du Plessis as Ron Carlisle.

In the dual role of Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels, Drew Becker brings the right comedic style to the musical, which, in turn, prompts hilarious laughter in all the right places. He has such great fun in the role, it's easy to get swept up in the Michael/Dorothy story and everything it has to offer. Ashley Alexandra, who plays Julie, the romantic leady lady of the new Broadway musical "Juliet's Curse" and the love interest of Michael/Dorothy, is a standout both vocally and acting wise.  As Sandy, Michael's angst-ridden, girlish friend who can't seem to get an acting gig, Payton Reilly's neurotic persona and line delivery is right on point as is her splendid delivery of "What's Gonna Happen," a hilariously written and replayed patter song that paints her obvious neuroses in full-fledged, giggly, manic mania.
Max Van Horn, a young, handsome, dumber-than-dumb reality star with a hot body he continually shows off by dropping his shirt multiple times, Matthew Rella not only stops the show with "This Thing," a full-on, big comic number, but comes to "Tootsie" with a natural, raw energy that makes his studly character stand out every time he's on stage. As Michael's roommate Jeff Slater, Jared David Michael Grant hams it up with perfectly synched deadpan delivery and shading that's well worth watching and cheering.

"Aladdin" Is A Magic Carpet Ride Well Worth Taking

 

By James V. Ruocco

("Aladdin" continues its North American Tour through July 30, 2023)

Latticed palaces shimmering in the night.
Caves drenched in gold.
Magic carpets floating in the air.
A winning formula with knockout production numbers.

Disney's "Aladdin" - now on tour - is a big, sumptuous spectacle awash with sparkle, color, comedy, music, romance, a flying carpet, chiseled pecs, dancing beauties, fireworks, a loveable genie, assorted villains and plenty of freshly minted references from the 21st century amusingly thrown in to keep up with the times.

Like the 1992 animated film on which it draws its inspiration, this "Aladdin" is fun for audiences of all ages.
It's expensive Disney panto well worth the admission.
It's heroic and free-spirited.
It's adventurous and emotional.
It's doused with dare and dazzle.
Its diverse and tuneful.
It's given full reign over every city it plays.
And it's showcased in typical Disney fashion.

Taking its cue from "The Arabian Nights/One Thousand and One Nights," a popular collection of Middle Eastern fairy tales that includes the story of "Aladdin," the two-act musical (written by Chad Beguelin) features a handsome, young hero, a beautiful princess, an evil villain and a magical genie as its central characters.
Set in the Middle Eastern city of Agrabah, it goes the traditional romantic Disney route - poor boy falls madly in love with a beautiful princess- backed by a series of engaging, well-orchestrated, plot-defining story arcs and songs - all of which leads to a very happy ending showcased in dreamy, megawatt Technicolor splendor.
Jaw-dropping moments and madness aside, "Aladdin" is diced and spliced with enough cartoon-bright innocence, divvying villainy and giggly flourish to keep the actual story afloat without any hiccups, pauses, halts or interruptions. It's all dreamland Middle East (nothing wrong with that) - neat, clever and consistent - mixed seamlessly with jokes, tricks and abstractions that heighten the musical's magical allure.

Directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw who staged the 2014 Broadway production, "Aladdin" has been designed solely to put a smile on your face, ask you to boo and hiss the villain, cheer the hero, applaud the show's bejeweled content, enjoy its catchy production numbers, bask in the glory of its bright full moon and shed a tear or two when good triumphs over evil right before the big finish.
As director, Nicholaw crafts a big-budget, well-oiled production with moments of mischief, charm, romance, madness and dreamy intervention. It's storytelling for the kids peppered with delightful bits and muscle strictly for the adults.
It all comes together swimmingly with enough ice-cream showmanship and sugar that not only impresses but leave you high as a kite begging and always wanting more. Dance wise, "Aladdin" feeds the soul with a body of virtuoso work that is potent, effective, inspired and striking.

The musical score for "Aladdin" features songs written and composed by Alan Menken (music) and the late Howard Ashman (lyrics) for the original 1992 Disney animated film in addition to new musical numbers orchestrated by Menken with lyrics created by Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin. Designed to enhance, balance and improve the popular story, the music itself is lush, lively and melodic with Arabic-tinged sounds and words that complement the atmospheric setting, the characters and the varying themes of the "Aladdin" narrative.
In order of performance, the songs are as follows: "Arabian Nights," "One Jump Ahead," "Proud of Your Boy," "These Palace Walls," "Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim," "A Million Miles Away," "Diamond in the Rough," "Friend Like Me," "Friend Like Me (reprise)," "Proud of Your Boy (reprise)," "Prince Ali," "A Whole New World," "High Adventure," "Somebody's Got Your Back," "Proud of Your Boy (reprise II)," "Prince Ali (Sultan reprise), Prince Ali (Jafar Reprise)," "Somebody's Got Your Back (reprise), "Arabian Nights (reprise)" and "A Whole New World" (reprise)."

The full energy and scope of the "Aladdin" score is shaped and solidified by musical director/conductor James Dodgson, a talented musician and orchestral leader whose persuasive sense of balance and rhythm complements the emotional demands of the material itself. It's Disney + all the way (no surprise there) - front, back and center - moving between lyricism and melody with tapped exhilaration, sweetness and charm.
The music itself speaks volumes - "Arabian Nights," "A Whole New World," "Friend Like Me," "A Million Miles Away," "Proud of Your Boy" - propelled forward with focus, clarity, dimension, elation and joy. It's numbing. It's nostalgic. It's lovely. It's important. It's impossible to resist.
The added delight of "Aladdin" is that it is 100% Disney. That, of course, is meant entirely as a complement to Menken, Ashman, Rice and Beguelin. They speak Disney. They get Disney. They understand Disney. They also know what works for an audience who has seen the film, loved the film and thoroughly enjoyed the story, the songs and the characters. Here, you get all that and so much more with an effervescent offering sweet-talked to candy-coated goodness and cheer, much like the 1992 animated feature.

"Aladdin" stars Marcus M. Martin as the Genie, Adi Roy as Aladdin, Sensel Ahmady as Jasmine, Anand Nagraj as Jafar, Aaron Choi as Iago, Jake Letts as Babkak, Ben Chavez as Omar and Colt Prattes as Kassim. Seeing them work en masse, they each bring artistic smarts and unapparelled points of view to the proceedings synched lovingly to their songs, their characters, their story arcs and their dances. It's an artistic choice full of theatrical joys that complement the material most engagingly.

In conclusion, the national touring edition of Disney's "Aladdin" is a big, bold, colorful musical confection proudly displaying the Disney + banner, its values, its traditions, its greatness, its merriment and more importantly, its embracement of the traditional family musical. It sings. It soars. It smiles. It dances.

You also get a magic carpet that really works. Two very attractive, charismatic leads. A scene-stealing, larger-than-life genie. An elaborate set and costume design of Technicolor opulence. A very happy ending. And a wonderful songbook of musical numbers that includes the very hummable, show-stopping romantic ballad "A Whole New World."

"Rent's" Adam Pascal and Olivia Valli Headline the Cheerful National Tour of "Pretty Woman: The Musical"

By James V. Ruocco

A Cinderella tale of wealth, class, social position and prostitution, "Pretty Woman: The Musical" takes its cue from the popular 1990 motion picture of the same name and hooks itself up (no pun, intended) with plot points from "Sweet Charity," "My Fair Lady," "Gigi" and "Irma LaDouce," among others.

Not that any of that matters.
This is musical theatre - big, grand, colorful, silly, frothy, gooey, absolutely delightful.
Pretty much everyone in the audience - boys, girls, couples, homosexuals, married folk, seniors, transgenders - have seen the movie so this tale of a loveable Hollywood prostitute named Vivian who finds her "happily ever after" with Edward, a handsome millionaire who looks very much like an older version of Roger Davis from "Rent" (that's a casting coup destined to bring hundreds of diehard  Rentheads to the box office) is hardly cause for alarm.

Like it, love it or hate it, a fact is a fact.
"Pretty Woman: The Musical" is fun.
It's entertaining.
It's cute.
It's harmless.
It's easy to digest.
It's irresistible.

At the same time, "Pretty Woman: The Musical" is also not going to change the world.
Nor is it going make you hop on a plane headed for Los Angeles to book a room or the penthouse suite at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.   

If you should see it - and see it you should - its "Pygmalion"-like graces and charms will definitely win you over as will its old-fashioned storyline, its Hollywood setting, its vivid, rainbow-tinged Technicolor, its lyrical musicality, its bright period costumes and its appealing, attractive characters.
In short, what's not to like?

Using a script penned by J.F. Lawton and the late Garry Marshall, "Pretty Woman: The Musical" comes to the stage with story, dialogue, characters and situations amped up or reconfigured - to some degree - for the Broadway (in this case, the National Tour) audience. As before, Vivian's accidental meeting with Edward prompts him to hire her on the spot (for a week, that is) as a paid escort to satisfy him sexually in the bedroom, dine with him at fancy restaurants, attend a performance of "La Traviata" and accompany him on heated business meetings with some very wealthy, well-dressed clients.
On film or in musical form, things move pretty fast as Lawton and Marshall go the sugar daddy route (obviously, they know what they're selling) and treat the material and its sexual subtext with abject sweetness, polish and fun-and-fancy charm and kindness while Adams and Vallance inject oiled, well-orchestrated songs into the already familiar scenario. It all comes off swimmingly (did you expect, otherwise?) as long as you succumb (this is mandatory, folks) to its decided humor, its candy-coated frivolity and the crazy conceit that sex workers are people who think big, dream big and live big - no matter what the cost.
PS: a charge card with unlimited credit for shopping sprees on Rodeo Drive (a major, plot advancing story arc that segues into song and dance) is just one of the many perks "Pretty Woman: The Musical" dishes out in playful, in-your-face abandon.

Pulled together by Jerry Mitchell, the director/choreographer who staged both the Broadway production and the current West End editon starring Aimie Atkinson and former "Hollyoaks" heartthrob Danny Mac, the National Tour is afloat with that "together forever" humor and sexiness that is gleefully pimped out for two hours and twenty minutes (much to the delight of everyone on stage and in the audience) in grand, Broadway musical fashion. Again, Mitchell holds all the cards and instills this production with a winsome capability and cheer that doesn't falter for a moment. Here, you get froth and giggle mixed with hope, thrust, good will and cookie-cutter vulnerability.

Sexually speaking, the musical is also fueled with some steamy, soft-core niceness (first and foremost, Vivian is a prostitute) that is treated openly and tastefully by Mitchell throughout both Act I and II.  Edward's paid sex with Vivian includes two quickly orchestrated fade-outs of oral sex along with subsequent moments of both characters pulling off their clothes, kissing passionately and making love as the music swells and swells. Again, this isn't "The Sound of Music" or "Annie." It's a 2018 Broadway musical where the lead female character engages in sexual intercourse for pay. 

That said, the story board and songbook for "Pretty Woman: The Musical" benefits from a plot line that makes great use of its ensemble cast in very much the same way as all those wonderful Broadway musicals of yesteryear did. Most of the supporting cast changes clothes, hairstyles, moods, manners and body language to morph into a variety of different characters, all of which progresses the
Pretty Woman" storyline without any blips or hiccups. As director and choreographer, Mitchell is chock full of whip-snap invention that is seamlessly cued to Hollywood Technicolor movie musical fun offset by wonderfully orchestrated production numbers mixed with hints of cuteness, flair, schmaltz, gayness and let's-applaud-this-moment showmanship. It so much fun, you can't help but lap it up like honey.

Channeling the wicked romcom nostalgia and cheerfulness of the popular 1990 Richard Gere-Julia Roberts motion picture "Pretty Woman,"  composer and lyricist duo Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance craft an accommodating, sweet-sounding score that pays homage, in part, to those pleasant enough Broadway musicals populated by gumdrop ditties, plausible choral numbers, bona fide solos and duets and pulse-racing production numbers that cry "showstopper," "standing o" and "gosh-oh-gee that sure is pretty."  Here, you get 22 musical numbers, carefully tucked into the storyboard plotting of Act I and Act II. They are: "Welcome to Hollywood," "Anywhere But Here," "Something About Her (preamble)," "Welcome to Hollywood (reprise)," "Something About Her," "I Could Get Used to This," "Luckiest Girl in the World," "Rodeo Drive," "Anywhere But Here (reprise)," "On a Night Like Tonight," "Don't Forget to Dance," "Freedom," "You're Beautiful," "Entr'acte/Opening Act II," "This Is My Life," "Never Give Up on a Dream," "You and I," "I Can't Go Back," "Freedom (reprise)," "Long Way Home," "Together Forever" and "Finale/Oh, Pretty Woman." The latter, as most people know, was written by Roy Orbison and Bill Dees.

Every one of the songs is perfectly positioned to move the story forward with just the right amount of thread, kick and dimension to not only get you to listen - and listen well - but keep things always fun and cohesive with nary of blip, a hiccup, a jolt or a move in the wrong direction. The score, of course, is not in the same league as something by Tim Rice, Jonathan Larsen and Stephen Sondheim - "Chess," "Rent," "tick...tick...Boom!" "Company," immediately spring to mind - but, so what?  There's still a massive hook to the music from melody lines and power blasts to instrumentations and lyrics that are fresh-sounding, spontaneous and inspired.

Working from the blueprint of arrangements, orchestrations and music supervision provided by Will Van Dyke, music director Daniel Klintworth ("The Book of Mormon," "Billy Elliot") brings a tremendous sense of theatricality and color to the National Tour. It's a high-octane feat of moods, flavor, flamboyance and harmonics which he and his orchestral team address with dazzle, tilt and savvy Broadway lyrical expression. Song by song, act by act, it's all vividly realized with splendid artistic  freedom and comfort offset by a fingerhold that follows the musical narrative, its progression and its kaleidoscope of change intuitively.  It's all expertly timed to the musical songbook at hand and the obvious, playful conceit set forth by both Adams and Vallance.

The cast - leads, supporting players and ensemble - also benefit from Klintworth's tutelage. On every level, their vocal consumption of the material is rife with a thrall and encouragement that is the music's forte. That said, the vitality of mood, swing and articulation is subsequently marked by harmonic relishing, grace and concern that is performed and negotiated with natural aplomb. The Bushnell's ideal, perfectly balanced sound system furthers that notion.

The cast, is true to form, in rich Broadway musical fashion.

Adam Pascal, best known for his cutting-edge portrayal of Roger Davis in Jonathan Larson's 1996 Broadway production of "Rent" oozes plenty of charm, sophistication and sexiness for his role of the rich and very eligible bachelor Edward Harris. It's an emotionally engaged turn - as was Roger in "Rent" - and one Pascal coveys with honesty, passion, drive and confidence. Even when things get silly - and they do from time to time - the actor never lets his guard down for a moment. Vocally, he is magnificent (no surprise, here), displaying a wide range of emotions, style and reflection that makes every one of his musical moments ring loud and clear throughout the two-act production.
Olivia Valli, the granddaughter of "Four Seasons" frontman Frankie Valli, takes hold of the now iconic role of Vivian Ward (played by Julia Roberts in the 1990 film version of "Pretty Woman" movie) and turns it into a smart and savvy heroine who actually does get her "happily ever after" ending right before the final fadeout. She not only has great fun with the role, but invests it with a natural sense of whimsey, freedom, charm and allure. Like Pascal, she too comes to "Pretty Woman: The Musical" with vocal chops befitting a true Broadway leading lady. Her singing, which includes a powerhouse belt, is heartfelt, die-hard enthusiastic, centered and wonderfully alive. 

In the role of Vivian's trusty and mouthy sidekick, Jessica Crouch delivers plenty of sass, spunk and voltage-charged vocals. Kyle Taylor Parker, cast in the dual roles of a crafty hotel manager and the show's street-singing Mr. Hollywood narrator, is an amazing talent exuding showstopping charm, personality and command throughout the musical. Lastly, there's the wonderfully animated Trent Soyster, who pretty much steals the show as Giulio, a gay Beverly Wilshire Hotel bellhop whose singing, dancing, preening, posing and frequent flights of fancy are so excitably executed and performed, his every on-stage moment, which also includes some standout ensemble work, is well worth the ovation worthy applause he gets during the musical's final curtain calls. Chock full of charm, candy store sweetness and Broadway razzle-dazzle, Soyster commands your attention from start to finish.

A crowd pleaser with nothing on its mind except to entertain, "Pretty Woman: The Musical" is a colorful, splashy entertainment that breezes along with the carefree snap and zing of a musical theatre confection designed solely to get you clapping, smiling and oh yes, put you in a romantic mood for the night, the day or the morning after (no fee required). Direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell who helmed both the 2018 Broadway production and the London edition, currently running at the Savoy Theatre, is sweet, lively and motivated. The cast, headed by "Rent's" Adam Pascal and Olivia Valli, all deliver old-school Broadway caliber performances - the kind where every single person on stage can not only sing, dance and act, but also are in sync with the mindset and good cheer set forth by the show's creators. And that is exactly what makes this playful National Tour fly.

Photos of "Pretty Woman:The Musical" by Matthew Murphey.

"Pretty Woman: The Musical" is being staged at The Bushnell, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford, CT), now through May 1, 2022.

For tickets or more information, call (860) 987-5900.

website: busnelll.org.

Calista Flockhart and Zachary Quinto Headline the Geffen Playhouse Revival of Edward Albee's Critically-Acclaimed Drama "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" in Los Angeles

 By James V. Ruocco 

Martha: "Get over there and answer that door?"

George: "You've been advised."

Martha: "Yeah, sure, Get over there."

George: All right, love...Whatever love wants...Isn't it nice the way some people have manners, though, even in this day and age? Isn't it nice that some people won't just come breaking into other people's houses even if they do hear some sub-human monster yelling at 'em from inside...?"

Martha: "SCREW U !!!!"

And, so it begins.
Edward Albee's edgy, booze-soaked, serio-comic portrait about a dysfunctional marriage on the verge of collapse, comes to L.A.'s Geffen Playhouse just in time to celebrate the play's iconic 60th Anniversary.
First performed at the Bill Rose Theatre in October, 1962, the original production starred Uta Hagen, Arthur Hill, George Grizzard and Melinda Dillon in leading roles. It received the 1963 Tony Award for Best Play and the 1962-63 New York Drama Critic's Circle Award for Best Play. A film adaptation, penned by Ernest Lehman and directed by Mike Nichols, was released in 1966 with a stellar-cast headed by Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal and Sandy Dennis.

An explosive tale of mind games, manipulation, lies, deceit, compromise and revelation, told in three acts - "Fun and Games," "Walpurgisnacht," "The Exorcism" - the Geffen Playhouse revival stars Calista Flockhart as Martha, Zachary Quinto as George, Graham Phillips as Nick and Aimee Carrero as Honey. It is being directed by Gordon Greenberg whose credits include the West End revival of "Guys and Dolls," the North American premiere of "Piaf/Dietrich," the Broadway staging of Irving Berlin's "Holiday Inn" and the world premiere of "The Heart of Rock and Roll," the new Huey Lewis musical at The Old Globe.

"I have always loved the play, although my relationship with it changes over the years," Greenberg told Sarah Rose Leonard, Dramaturg for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" "I first saw the movie in my teens. I was living in a household that wasn't as drastically dangerous as this household, but it resonated. I certainly recognized the decaying relationship, codependence and violence, the disappointment and mourning that all these people are experiencing, I was also drawn to the exposing of the underbelly of an ostensibly perfect, orderly, suburban existence. I loved that the couple you thought had it all together and had everything going for them - the golden couple, if you will - is actually more dysfunctional than the couple who look like they're a mess and should be separated, probably. I think George and Martha have a brighter future than Honey and Nick. And that was fascinating to me."
In 2022, Albee's play, per Greenberg, is just as timely as it was when it was first performed.
"As I've gotten older, I've understood what it means to love someone through darkness at times. The way you think about life is not quite as neat and tidy and finite. If you look at the lifespan of a relationship, it's like traversing the Pacific Ocean. There are going to be storms, and there are going to be challenges and waves. But if you learn how to sail through them, you get a great reward at the end, which is mileage and longevity."

Returning to the stage after a 20-year absence, Flockhart, whose credits include "Romeo and Juliet," "The Three Sisters," "Ally McBeal," "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "Supergirl" and "The Glass Menagerie," is more than just excited to be starring in the Geffen Playhouse staging of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
"Whenever I did a play, I was usually the ingenue and one of the youngest people in the cast," the 57-year-old actress told the Los Angeles Times. "And now, I'm the oldest person in the cast. And I am not the ingenue. And that's really fun and exciting. I could never play Martha without all the life experience. So it feels pretty wonderful."
Theater, live theatre, is Flockhart's first love.
"I love theater. I love that it's happening in the moment right in front of your eyes. I love going to the theater. I love being in a play. I love, obviously, that it's live.
"There is no editor and it's an actor's medium. You're on stage, the director's gone and it's just very exciting to me."

Working alongside Flockhart, Phillips, completely understands why the actress is excited about bringing the character of Martha life, performance after performance. "She's got such a brilliant take on Martha that I never would have expected. She just comes across as more dangerous. It has this almost-transparent quality to her, where you feel like you really know Martha. And then something changes and you realize maybe you have the whole thing wrong all along."

Mixing truth and illusion with the inability to communicate, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf's" razor-sharp dialogue, invited parallelism, fierce interplay, raw characterizations and strong sense of purpose, is one of the main reasons why the play is so often revived. It's three-act structure, set loose in a cyclone of controversy, desperation and opinion, not only questions American values and the institution of marriage, but allows the work to stand tall in its fight for artistic freedom, inspiration and independence.

According to Greenberg, the Geffen Playhouse staging of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" is also a play with hope.
"When you got adversity, the only way around it is through. We're watching these characters go through the storm probably in the worst way they ever have. I believe they come to a higher, hopefully more connected understanding of each other.
"There's a reason Albee ends the show with dawn breaking. It's almost too on the nose, but he's telling us something. My feeling is that there is hope for a future for Martha and George."

George: (singing) "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf? Virginia Woolf. Virginia Woolf,"

Martha: I...am...George..."

George: "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf..."

Martha: I...am...George...I...am..."

"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" is being performed at the Geffen Playhouse ( 10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles, CA), now through May 29. 2022.

Performances are 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and 7:00 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Matinees are 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Tickets are $30-$149.

Running time: 3 hrs. and 20 minutes, including two 10 minute intermissions.

For more information, call (310) 208-2028.

website:geffenplayhouse.org

Note: For the health, safety and well-being of the actors, staff, audience and artists, everyone in attendance is to be fully vaccinated and to wear masks.
The production, which contains adult subject matter, profanity and the smoking of herbal cigarettes is not recommended for those under the age of 14. Children, six and under, will not be admitted.

Photos of  "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" by Jeff Lorch and Justin Bettman