THE 2010 TONY AWARDS AN OVERVIEW

As one who has been watching the Tony telecasts since they began I must say that the one last night was the most boring one I have come across in years. None of this years musical sequences came off well and some of host Sean Hayes's routines were tastless in the extreme. This was unfortunate because Mr. Hayes is a real talent and should have been presented to much better advantage.
Another problem was that the nominated musicals weren't very strong to begin with. "Memphis" won the best musical award and it was an entertaining, crowd pleasing show to be sure, but I suspect that the real reason it got the award was because it was the only nominee with an original score. The others used pre-existing songs to tell their stories and while "Fela"was a more solid entertainment, it still [along with the other nominees] came across as a jukebox musical.
There weren't many upset victorys and the winners were all deserving of their awards even though I did not agree with all the results. I will say that I was very pleased that "Red" won the best play award. It fully deserved to win because it was a splendid play and gave me the best evening on Broadway I had all season. Not far behind it was "Time Stands Still" which was another worthwhile play, and that one is returning to Broadway in September. Worth seeing.
So another awards season is over. My only wish is that the Tonys should become more about excellence in the theatre and less about glitz and commercialisim and not be the crashing bore it was this year.
I will be posting sporadically over the summer months. Otherwise, see you in the fall.

COME FLY AWAY A REVIEW

Being a lifelong fan of Frank Sinatra, I was looking forward to choreographer Twyla Tharp's latest Broadway dance show with fond anticipation even though I have never been much of a fan of her choreographic style or her way of presenting her concepts. In her previous Broadway outings "Moving Out" and "The Times They Are A Changing",she used the songs of Billy Joel and Bob Dylan respectivly to tell her rather flimsy stories and and the results [to me at any rate] were heavy and unsatisfying. In her new show COME FLY AWAY Ms. Tharp is combining the great voice of Frank Sinatra with an excellent 19 piece on stage band playing many of Mr. Sinatra's original charts, but the story she is telling [something about four couples falling in and out of love] is even flimsier then her other two shows and the result is musically exciting but visually monotonous.
The idea`of combining live musicians with a recorded voice is a good one and Ms. Tharp has assembeled a talented group of dancers but while some of her sequences are theatrically effective I have always felt that her work would be more at home with a major dance company then in a Broadway theatre.
The settings by James Youmans, Lighting by Donald Holder, and costumes by Katherine Roth are elegently effective and the onstage band sounds teriffic,but to one theatregoer of long standing COME FLY AWAY is as pretentious as artificial jewelry and just about as valuable.
AT THE MARQUIS THEATRE 210 WEST 46th STREET N.Y.C.
We now are at the end of another New York theatre season. I will be posting my impression of the Tony Awards on Monday

COLLECTED STORIES A REVIEW

Donald Margulies is one of the better home grown playwrights on the scene at the moment. In plays like "Dinner With Friends", "Sight Unseen" and this seasons' excellent "Time Stands Still" he has had an ability to look at the human condition thru the eyes of ordinary people,and has created a gallery of fine, lifelike characters. Now we have the first Broadway production of his twelve year old off-Broadway play COLLECTED STORIES, and while it may not be quite up to some of his later works it is still a fine play and it is being given an extrodanarily effective production by the Manhattan Theatre Club.
In it Mr. Margulies looks at the complex relationship of two female writers. One is a celebrated New York author and the other one her young protege, and the play deals with the path the relationship takes when the young author finds success on her own. Maybe this story seems a bit padded as a two act play,[I think it would have been more effective as a one act play] Mr. Margulies' talent is always evident and under the intelligently planned direction of Lynne Meadow the cast of two are giving astonishingly fine performances.
Linda Lavin is giving one of her finest performances as the experienced author and Sara Paulson is first rate as her young protege.
Santo Loquastos' scenic design and Natasha Katz' lighting serve their purpose capably and Jane Greenwoods' costumes are just right.
COLLECTED STORIES may not be a play for the ages, but it shows Mr. Margulies in fine form and helped by his two talented actresses, it provides a fine theatre evening.
AT THE SAMUEL J. FRIEDMAN THEATRE 261 WEST 47th STREET N.Y.C.