• オペラ座の怪人 (Phantom of the Opera)

7/22/17 (Sat), Yokohama

I hadn’t seen the stage version of Phantom since Las Vegas in 2007 (and before that in NY in 1997 – there’s a pattern there). This was the first time to catch the massively successful Japanese version. I was invited by a friend who’s seen the show, by his estimate, around 120 times (!!) and had secured extra tickets for this sold-out-as-usual run. The Shiki Theatre Company, the keeper of the Japanese version, has multiple casts in the main roles and, to prevent a bias in sales toward the more popular performers, doesn’t announce which cast is appearing until a week in advance, way too late to score tickets. Pretty slimy. (Shiki’s uncomplaining fans, like my friend, simply buy tickets for multiple performances in hopes of landing their preferred actor/actress.) Unfortunately for my friend, the phantom this time was his fourth choice among the five playing the role. But the rest of us were happy just to be there.  Continue reading →

• The Threepenny Opera (NT Live)

6/21/17 (Tues), Tokyo

A dark sleaze-fest by Rufus Norris. There was no papering over the cruelty or cynicism of the show, though I could have done without the unnecessarily crude rendering of the lyrics in English by author Simon Stephens (lots of shits and fucks). Vulgarities abound in the book as well, such as the fingers up the butt and a line about cheese that I wish I could forget. Macheath remains the two-, three- or more-timer who has made Polly his latest wife, raising the wrath of (1) her parents, who want him dead (he was also shtupping her mother), (2) his other wife Lucy (he tries to convince her that he wants Polly only for her brains), and (3) Lucy’s father, Inspector Tiger Brown, who as Mack’s former collaborator (and apparently lover) feels betrayed. Another lover Jenny is bribed to give away his whereabouts, and the situation deteriorates from there. The show and its focus on London’s low-life were conceived by Brecht basically as an excuse for his anti-capitalist screed, which remains hard to take seriously as social critique. But it’s good fun to watch.  Continue reading →

• Hello, Dolly! 

5/13/17 (Sat), Broadway

Bette Midler as Dolly – how perfect is that? In her last Broadway musical back in the 1960s, Fiddler, she was singing to a matchmaker; now she’s become one. The excitement level was very high for this show; it’s easily the hottest ticket in town next to Hamilton, and she’s already extended the limited run into December, which quickly sold out. The audience cheered at the opening bars of the overture, at the title song in the overture, at the opening of the curtains, at Bette’s first appearance, at the opening of her first song and on and on. Let’s face it: we weren’t there for the sets. She carried a tremendous store of good will, and the energy in the audience could have lit the theater. My only worry was the memory of the last time I saw the show, when Carol Channing was treading gingerly through it at an age way too old for the role. We applauded at the staircase scene in sheer relief that she made it down safely. Bette isn’t too much younger (she’s 71), but the word out there is very good. So it was hard not to get caught up in the enthusiasm.  Continue reading →

• Into the Woods (film), 1/5/15 (Mon)

Into the Woods has never been my favorite Sondheim show for various reasons, though I seem to be in the minority among musical fans. Still, I was curious to see what Hollywood had done with it.  Continue reading →

• Billy Elliot Live (film)

12/12/14 (Fri), Tokyo

A film of the live broadcast of the London musical that was shown on UK screens back in September. I hadn’t seen the show since it first opened in 2005 and, my memory being a bit fuzzy, thought it was a good chance to get reacquainted.  Continue reading →

Hairspray (NBC Live)

1/21/17 (Sat)

Hairspray was a surprising choice as one of the NBC Live offerings. It seems too new for reinvention: it closed on Broadway less than ten years ago, and a (misguided) film version was released around the same time, meaning that a good portion of the audience will have seen it in some form or other in the not-too-distant past. Also, it is not an iconic title like past productions The Sound of Music or Grease, nor were there many big names in the cast as in The Wiz. As much as I personally love musicals, I had to wonder where NBC thought they were going to find an audience. It does deliver a feel-good message in roughly the same musical style as the popular Grease, which maybe they thought would be an attraction. In any case, it’s a terrific stage show, and they had the very good sense to retain the inimitable Harvey Fierstein as the mother. Despite the low ratings from the actual broadcast last month, I was eager to catch it.  Continue reading →

The Sound of Music (NBC live broadcast)

12/8/13 (Sun)

When I heard that NBC was going to broadcast a live version of The Sound of Music, I was immediately intrigued. There hasn’t been a live broadcast of a musical in my lifetime – the last time, coincidentally another R&H show, Cinderella, was in 1957 – and unlike the Met Live films, this one is made specifically for the screen. I was very curious as to how they were going to approach this given the daunting logistics. Continue reading →