Sammy Williams, 69

Sammy Williams, Tony Winner in ‘A Chorus Line,’ Dies at 69
by Sam Roberts, The New York Times, March 22, 2018

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Jan Maxwell, 61

Jan Maxwell, Celebrated Stage Actress, Is Dead at 61
by Anita Gates, The New York Times, February 12, 2018

Jan Maxwell Was a Star Made for the Stage
by Ben Brantley, The New York Times, February 13, 2018

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Robert Guillaume, 89

Robert Guillaume, Emmy-Winning Star of ‘Benson,’ Dies at 89
by Daniel E. Slotnik, The New York Times, October 24, 2017

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Brenda Lewis, 96

Brenda Lewis, Versatile American Soprano, Is Dead at 96
by Margalit Fox, The New York Times, September 16, 2017

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Novella Nelson, 78

Novella Nelson, 78, Dies; Brought Authority to Myriad Roles
by Richard Sandomir, The New York Times, September 7, 2017

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Barbara Cook, 89

Barbara Cook, Broadway Star Who Became a Cabaret Mainstay, Dies at 89
by Robert D. McFadden, The New York Times, August 8, 2017

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Linda Hopkins, 92

Linda Hopkins, a Tony-Winning Actress and Singer, Dies at 92
by William Grimes, The New York Times, April 11, 2017

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Willa Kim, 99

Willa Kim, Designer of Fanciful Costumes, Dies at 99
by Anita Gates, The New York Times, December 28, 2016

George S. Irving, 94

George S. Irving, Tony Winner and Voice of Heat Miser, Dies at 94
by Richard Sandomir, The New York Times, December 29, 2016

Dick Latessa, 87

Dick Latessa, Winner of a Tony for ‘Hairspray,’ Dies at 87
by Richard Sandomir, The New York Times, December 20, 2016

Florence Henderson, 82

Florence Henderson, Upbeat Mom of ‘The Brady Bunch,’ Dies at 82
by Anita Gates, The New York Times, November 25, 2016

Sutton Foster: fun, laughs, good times...and something more

Broadway's golden girl, Sutton Foster, has become Neil Simon's refugee of the heart, Charity Hope Valentine. And all the reasons some critics felt disappointed with The New Group's approach to Simon's fifty-year-old phenom, Sweet Charity, are reasons I admire it.

Scaled back, toned down and set in 3/4-round, small-theater intimacy that finds jaded dance hall girls and their clientele looming over the first few audience rows, this Sweet Charity feels like a musical for the sobering times we're suddenly living in. You surely expected fun, laughs, good times only to get this bucket of cold water thrown in your face.

I came for the brilliant Cy Coleman/Dorothy Fields tunes that, decades ago, took up permanent residence in my brain--"Big Spender," "If My Friends Could See Me Now," "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This," "Baby, Dream Your Dream" and, especially as later socked home by Streisand, "Where Am I Going?" Even with the poignant re-positioning of one of those songs, they hit the mark again as rendered by Georgia Stitt's all-women, five-member band and director Leigh Silverman's sturdy, versatile, multicultural cast.

I'm a downtown gal, much more accustomed to close-up performance than being set back behind an invisible screen with action unfolding at a far remove. Sitting in the 200-seat arrangement, I liked being able to see what was in these characters' eyes--the dead or dying souls, particularly--and how hard the actors worked for this show. I felt privileged to witness a top-of-her-game performance from Foster--my first time--who owns every single twisty complexity of her character and her show.

Unlike some of her co-workers, Charity maintains moral lines she won't cross. Yet, in her ever-hopeful quest and desperation for love, she's easy pickings for exploitative men. Yet, in the right situation, she can show a crafty, even tough side. Yet, she breaks just like a little girl, shielding that quirky, sparkly grin and lively, hungry, intelligent eyes. And yet. And yet. Foster--in some mind-boggling integration of Carol Burnett and Jane Fonda happening right before our eyes--manages to master every bit of this. I came late to fandom, but I now adore her and would follow her to any stage.

As panicky Oscar, Shuler Hensley is so viscerally good--and adorably hilarious--in the stuck-elevator scene that he began to make me feel claustrophobic. (Okay, maybe the Linney Theatre really is a little small...). I also enjoyed the smooth subtleties in Joel Perez's work as movie star Vittorio Vidal but liked him even more when, as the usually loutish dance hall owner Herman, he suddenly reveals how much he loves to cry at weddings.

Sweet Charity leaves Herman, and the rest of us, with something to cry about all right. It feels unexpected, unimaginable, all wrong and...yeah...familiar.

Sweet Charity's run has been extended through January 8. Get information and tickets here.

The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre
at The Pershing Square Signature Center
480 West 42nd Street, Manhattan
(map/directions)

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LC Fest: Japan's Takarazuka Revue takes on "CHICAGO"

Started by a railway magnate in 1914 to attract tourists to the hot springs town of Takarazuka, the all-female Takarazuka Revue has grown into a true cultural phenomenon, with a devoted fan base that clamors for the company’s sparkling adaptations of classic Western and Japanese stories, movies, and plays, and a cultural influence that extends into the realms of anime and manga.

--from "Takarazuka: A History"

Granted, I did not have the best vantage point for Japan's Takarazuka CHICAGO, seated near the rear of the Koch Theater's hall (my bad, I guess, for waiting too late to try for a press ticket). From there, I could see, very well, that Takarazuka Revue's cast--nearly all women, often taking male roles--had brought their sharpest knives to the Fosse (via Ann Reinking) banquet. But I couldn't make out facial expressions or the subtleties of gaze and body talk that usually connect and even bond me to performers and the characters they play. I struggled to recover some sense of the 1975 Kander-Ebb-Fosse musical I had seen and enjoyed only in its 2002 movie version. It didn't help to have to continually aim my gaze nearly to the ceiling, away from those distant faces, to catch whatever English supertitles I could catch. I felt lost and got lost more often than I'd care to admit.

At the outset, the CHICAGO of Takarazuka CHICAGO seemed sluggish. Post-intermission, though, it took on a certain charge, and I did get a kick out of Saori Mine (playing flashy, celebrated celebrity lawyer Billy Flynn) and the moxie of foxy Roxie Hart (played by Hikaru Asami) and Velma Kelly (Yoka Wao), our two vaudeville-era lady killers. But I did not really start rooting for Takarazuka Revue until the hard-working performers lowered the curtain on CHICAGO and gifted us with one their famous encores, a show in itself.

To Takarazuka Revue, "encore" does not mean one or two quick, rousing sendoffs. Oh no. It means a string of numerous songs, each a mini-production with different performers, about twenty minutes more of material--Takarazuka's own material, this time, and what material! Glittering light effects sweeping the theater's walls and ceiling; sexy, romantic tangos between women dressed to the nines; Vegas showgirl feather costumes and Rockettes-style lineups. It's also fun to notice how audience members, many of them Japanese or Japanese-American, recognize and hail specific players as they take the stage for their encore segments.

As I giddily discussed this, via Facebook app, with a Takarazuka fan who has seen the troupe in Japan, we hit on the same explanation for why these encores slay. It's really hard to separate how gaudily over-the-top they are from the exquisite technical excellence of the performances. Your brain instinctively says, "Wait, no. I can't believe this," but you're grinning. Confections coming after the dark meal of CHICAGO, they feel like acts of sincere generosity, feel-good rewards and guilty pleasures. Each number is bite-sized but packs a lot of calories, and everyone goes away richly fed.

The North American premiere run of Takarazuka CHICAGO continues at Lincoln Center Festival through Sunday. Remaining shows are:

Friday, July 22, 7:30
Saturday, July 23, 2:00
Saturday, July 23, 8:00
Sunday, July 24, 2:00

Note: The show runs roughly three hours with one intermission.

Get information and tickets here.

David H. Koch Theater
20 Lincoln Center Plaza, Manhattan
(map/directions)

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John McMartin, 86

John McMartin, ‘Sweet Charity’ Star, Dies at 86
by William Grimes, The New York Times, July 7, 2016

Elizabeth Swados, 64

Elizabeth Swados, Creator of Socially Conscious Musicals, Is Dead at 64
by William Grimes, The New York Times, January 5, 2016

Leon Bibb, 93

Leon Bibb, Actor, Folk Singer and Civil Rights Activist, Dies at 93
by William Grimes, The New York Times, October 26, 2015

George Coe, 86

George Coe, Actor and Director of a Bergman Parody, Dies at 86
by Margalit Fox, The New York Times, July 24, 2015

Eugene Louis Faccuito ("Luigi"), 90

Eugene Louis Faccuito, Creator of Jazz Dance Style, Dies at 90
by Margalit Fox, The New York Times, April 11, 2015

Julie Wilson, 90

Julie Wilson, Sultry Cabaret Legend and Actress, Dies at 90
by Stephen Holden, The New York Times, April 6, 2015

Gene Saks, 93

Gene Saks, Tony-Winning Director of Neil Simon Hits, Dies at 93
by Bruce Weber, The New York Times, March 29, 2015