stagedoorjohnnyoz heads to the big apple

Rather than write reviews for each of the shows I saw in New York on my recent trip I have decided to write a two part overview of the shows I attended.

 This year’s season initially offered little that personally appealed to me but as the trip drew closer I was spoilt for choice and it became a case of weighing up the must sees.

Top of the list for me was Sister Act (Book by Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner, with additional book material by Douglas Carter Beene; Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Glenn Slater).  Based on the 1990 film of the same title it tells the story of Deloris Van Cartier (Patina Miller) who takes refuge in a run down convent whilst on the run from a bunch of largely incompetent gangsters.  Fans of the film (including myself when I first heard the London recording) were disappointed that none of the songs used in the film make it to this stage version. However, Menken and Slater have filled the musical with so many well serving catchy songs that the film songs would now feel out of place amongst them. 

Oozing charisma, Miller delivers a star turn as Deloris.  She embodies the sassy spirit of Whoopi Goldberg’s celluloid performance but never once imitates it.  Possessing both a strong belt and a good sense of comic timing, it is easy to see why she was a strong contender for the Best Leading Actress in a Musical Tony. Favourite numbers that she leads for me were 'Fabulous Baby', 'Raise Your Voice' and 'Take Me to Heaven'.

Equally impressive is Clarke as Mother Superior. Tough and stoic when delivering her spoken lines, her expressive voice was a delight to listen to during 'Here Within These Walls' and 'Haven't Got a Prayer'.
There is some great support by the ensemble of singing nuns and some nice performances from the gangster mob (Demond Green is particularly engaging as TJ).

Sister Act offers nothing groundbreaking but for sheer light hearted joyous entertainment value it was the most enjoyable of the shows that I caught. 9/10

                                         Victoria Clarke was very chatty at stage door and
                                         was interested in talking about Australia

It was a long wait on a very hot summer evening

to meet Patina Miller but worth it

In a similar vein for bang for your joyous entertainment buck is my second favourite ‘Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical’ (Book by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott). Whist I enjoyed the original Sydney production in 2006 I was not overly fond of it.  I was looking forward to seeing this production on the Great White Way, both out of patriotism and to see how much it had developed over the years.  I was delighted to see that the changes have served it well and thoroughly enjoyed it this time around. 
Offering a good mix of camp fun, it manages to bring home a message of tolerance (albeit subtly) whilst entertaining with big production high energy fuelled numbers.  With over one thousand performances under his belt, Tony Sheldon continues to give a wonderful performance as transsexual Bernadette. It is easy to forget that you are watching a man in the role during the performance; Sheldon manages to be maternal and warm whilst maintaining an acidic tongue when needed. On many occasions he had the audience screaming with laughter.  Sheldon keeps them onside no matter how outrageous the line he is delivering. Wil Swenson as Tick (the role made famous by Hugo Weaving in the film) also gives a believable and tender performace.  His 'Say a Little Prayer' at the beginning of Act One and 'Always on my Mind' towards the conclusion of the show are particularly touching. 
The Tony award winning costume designs by Tim Chappel and Lizzie Gardiner are as effective as they were in the original Sydney production (and in some cases the film) and it was fun to see a US audience thrilled by the famous Australian icons that inspired various costumes.
I did not mind that the Kylie Minogue songs were replaced by those from Madonna in order to serve a US audience.  Madonna was (and still is) hugely popular in this country so it makes sense that a Sydney drag queen would obsessed with her.
The audience at the performance I attended was incredibly enthusiastic and by the time the curtain came down it felt like it was the end of a party. 8.5/10

                                          

                                              It is a shame the poster does not really

                                             give a good indication of the what the show

                                             is about

                                         Now that's more like it. Tony Sheldon pictured here
                                         in turban

Third on the list was 'The Book of Mormon', (Book, Music and Lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone).   I still rank this musical as my third choice despite not quite understanding why this has been so well received (along with 14 Tony nominations). The music is well written with catchy melodies which, profane lyrics aside, would not be out of place in many other American Broadway musical comedies.  Whilst it is amusing, in a shocking kind of way,  to hear the 'c' bomb dropped many times in a musical, it gets old fairly quickly and just becomes boring the 7th or 8th time you hear it. 

There are some hysterically funny lines of dialogue, and some moments when you can see brilliance at work, but then there are other times where I started to look at my watch to see how much longer before I could leave the theatre.
Andrew Rannells as Elder Price was perfect and gives a strong performance from beginning to end. From optimistic and bright eyed in the opening, to slightly bitter and questioning by show's end he retains true to character at all times.  His lead vocal in 'You and Me (But Mostly Me)' and solo 'I Believe' show off his versatility and one cannot help but be drawn into his journey.
Josh Gad as his downtrodden missionary companion Elder Cunningham took longer to grow on me. I felt that a lot of his performance went too far and at times was overacted. When he wasn't pushing it as far as he could, he turns in some lovely work ('I Am Here For You').
This show really sings in the ensemble numbers, especially when sung largely by the African villagers. 'Hasa Diga Eebowai' is a great example of this. Music, lyrics and vocals all marry perfectly. Another great moment is when Rory O'Malley leads the bright 'Turn It Off'.  O'Malley has the character of seemingly closeted Elder McKinley honed to perfection.
It will be interesting to see what life the show has.  I could not see this translating well to an Australian audience without several script changes, despite the catchy tunes.
Overall enjoyable enough, but I fail to appreciate all the hype. 7.5/10

Stay tuned for Part Two.