On this Thanksgiving Day when those of us in the United States traditionally count our communal and personal blessings, Reverend remains ever grateful for—in addition to many other things--the opportunities God continues to provide me in reviewing new movies and NYC stage productions. God knows they aren’t all perfect artistic creations, but I will always respect the effort (not to mention the money) it takes to bring a film, play or musical to life today.
Here are my mostly positive reviews of several works I’ve seen this past week:
Wicked: For Good (Now playing in movie theaters)
AKA Wicked: The Movie Part 2, this is the cinematic second act of Jon M. Chu’s pretty darn overall masterful adaptation of the long-playing/-touring stage musical. The first act of both renditions, with their fundamental world-building and central-character development, is stronger than the second. Act II is also necessarily darker and the tone more solemn, with songs that are decidedly less bubbly than Act 1’s. That being said, Wicked: FG makes some definite improvements/needed expansions on the source material (noting the initial contributions of authors/creators L. Frank Baum and Gregory Maguire).
I am noting I’ve already used the forward slash / above much more than I usually do. But this seems unavoidable when one is dealing with a generations-spanning literary and pop culture phenomenon like The Wizard of Oz. Some “purists” who have responded negatively to Wicked in its various forms have done so because of perceived deviations specifically from the classic 1939 movie. I don’t disagree with some of these criticisms, but I am also apparently more willing to suspend disbelief that the Wickeds exist in an alternate storytelling timeline/universe. (Darn, there’s another / !)
Chu, the newer films’ director, is clearly conscious of these criticisms and tries mightily to reconcile them. Is he wholly successful? No. The most glaring and downright confusing discrepancy in Wicked: For Good regards the motive and process by which Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh, who has a few amusing moments with Ariana Grande’s Glinda but is pretty much one-note evil in Part 2) conjures the cyclone that brings Kansas’s Dorothy Gale to the Land of Oz. And the fact that Cho refuses to show the latest Dorothy’s face becomes irritating, simplistic political “pawn” though she may be in this telling.
Despite all of this, there is still plenty to recommend Wicked: FG. Grande and Cynthia Erivo as “wicked witch” Elphaba cement themselves in these roles for this and perhaps future generations. It was most telling—and accurate--during the screening I attended that a young boy seated nearby loudly declared “That was awesome!” at the end of the song “No Good Deed,” performed by Erivo with spectacular visual support from Elphaba’s flying monkeys.
I wasn’t thrillified—to utilize the movies’ vernacular—by Jeff Goldblum’s turn as The Wizard in Part 1, but he redeems himself in Part 2 with his visual gag-infused number “Wonderful.” His performance also makes a stronger dramatic impact here. Similarly impressive and even hotter than he was in the first half is out dreamboat Jonathan Bailey, recently christened “The Sexiest Man Alive” by People magazine, as conflicted hetero love interest Fiyero.
Visually, musically and dramatically—not to mention financially-- Wicked: For Good is a success. Even if it isn’t as strong an achievement as Wicked, I fully expect both chapters together will prove over time to be a cinematic classic.
Reverend’s Ratings: B+
Two Strangers
Carry a Cake Across New York (Now
playing at Broadway’s Longacre Theatre)
I wasn’t planning on seeing this new musical I knew nothing about when I did on November 19th, but another show I was committed to that day cancelled on me somewhat last minute. At the time, I was complaining privately but now I’m raving publicly about the multiple benefits of this fabulous London to NYC transfer!
A charming plot by co-writers Jim Barne and Kit Buchan focuses on two young antagonists turned protagonists who are thrown together by unlikely circumstances. The British Dougal flies to New York for the wedding of his father, who he has never met, only to fall in love with Robin, the sister of his father’s much younger fiancée (i.e. Dougal’s step-aunt-to-be). What starts as potentially creepy turns into a genuinely moving romance between two lost Generation Y-Z souls.
Two Strangers features only two actors: Sam Tutty (making his Broadway debut) and Christiani Pitts. Tutty is adorable as Dougal, although he initially risks wearing the audience down with his overly enthusiastic attitude. One can sympathize with Pitts’ Robin and her aversion to having much to do with him. However, with further character development, some great songs and a genuine chemistry between the two performers, Tutty wins over all but the hardest hearts.
I was very happy to see Pitts perform once again. The first Broadway production Reverend saw in 10 years after relocating to the northeast was 2018’s flop King Kong musical, in which Pitts played the classic Fay Wray role. She was very impressive acting alongside a massive gorilla puppet, and she gives another tough yet ultimately compassionate performance here.
I also have to give a shout out to the musical’s superb scenic design by Soutra Gilmour. It consists of two towers of luggage, with various suitcases ingeniously utilized at times as tables, chairs, a wet bar, beds, and more. The stage’s turntable is also used brilliantly by the designer, actors, and director-choreographer Tim Jackson.
There is no shortage of bigger, better-known shows now on Broadway clamoring for patronage. I encourage everyone to hear the call of this new, small-scale but big-hearted production.
Reverend’s Rating: A-
Chess (Now playing at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre)
Full disclosure for anyone born after the year 2000: this is not a new musical but rather the show’s first major revival since 1988. This allegorical tale depicting a chess match between the USA and the then-Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War (one can definitely argue whether we are in a new Cold War with Russia today) has had a checkered history. At the time, Chess’s greatest claim to fame was the song “One Night in Bangkok” that became a pop top 40 hit. The initial Broadway production closed after only two months and 68 regular performances.
In the 37 years since, Chess has become a frequently re-worked cult classic subject to numerous video renditions and community theater mountings. I attended a quite good “theater in the round” production in my native Arizona approximately 25 years ago. Die-hard fans have been clamoring for a true Broadway revival all along and have finally gotten their wish. Too bad it isn’t much of an improvement on the original, especially according to a personal friend who saw both the original production and this one.
It didn’t take long for me to figure out that the musical’s current incarnation is a glorified concert staging. There is one set throughout with the band prominently displayed, a required chorus that incorporates occasional cheerleader-esque choreography, and the lead characters migrating downstage for their over-amplified soliloquies.
These lead characters are Soviet competitor Anatoly (Nicholas Christopher), his American rival Freddie Trumper (Aaron Tveit, a Tony Award winner for Moulin Rouge!) and Florence, the woman who comes between them played by Lea Michele of Glee, Spring Awakening fame. While they and the chorus members provide impressive vocals throughout, only Tveit gives a truly layered performance. Christopher and Michele are bland when they aren’t singing. Hannah Cruz (Suffs) makes more of an impression than the latter two in the supporting role of Anatoly’s wife, Svetlana.
I thoroughly enjoyed Tony nominee Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder) in this production as the all-seeing Arbiter, a role which seems to have been expanded and modernized here. Though amusing, the character’s commentary on current political figures—much is made of Freddie’s unfortunate last name--and issues as well as Chess itself tends to undercut the show’s seriousness. Perhaps the musical’s ultimate rendition is yet to come? Or maybe they should quit while they are at least financially ahead, since this Broadway revival is proving to be a hit.
Reverend’s Rating: C
Wishing all my dear
readers/followers a happy and blessed Thanksgiving! I give thanks for all of
YOU.
The Most Reverend Chris Carpenter is editor of Movie Dearest and chief contributor. He has been reviewing movies and theatre since 1996 and also contributes to Rage Monthly magazine (ragemonthly.com). He is a founding member and former Vice President of GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Critics (galeca.com) and currently serves as a nominating/voting member of its New York-based Theatre Wing. Reverend Carpenter has been an ordained minister since 1995.
No comments:
Post a Comment