10 Broadway Reasons To Be Thankful
DANCE IS HOT AGAIN
With America glued to TV’s Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance, a new generation of would-be performers are getting happy feet. Luckily, Broadway is in step. Billy Elliot is theater’s answer to why dance is relevant, thrilling and inspirational… and not just for girls! Hooray for a fresh spin on the same longings that propelled everything from The Red Shoes to A Chorus Line to Fame. We’re grateful to see the three young and talented stars David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish who alternate in the musical’s title role show us why dancing is an expression of joy. Dance on, Billy!
Holiday madness is starting to set in. There’s the cooking marathon, the family squabbles, the endless shopping and to-do lists. Sometimes you want, nay need, a grand musical escape. Thank goodness for the sumptuous Broadway revival of South Pacific. The Tony-winning production whisks you to another time and place with the flawless performances of its charming leads backed by a lush 30-piece orchestra playing one of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most glorious scores. This is one show that could turn Ebenezer Scrooge into a cockeyed optimist—and transform you from overwhelmed cook/employee/sibling/caregiver/shopper into blissed-out theatergoer.
OSCAR HOPEFULS IN THE FLESH
So let’s say you’re an actor at the top of your game and you’re awash in Oscar buzz. What do you do? You could sit back and dream about glam eveningwear and posh parties… Or if you’re A Man for All Seasons’ Frank Langella or The Seagull’s Kristin Scott Thomas, you hightail it to Broadway to work on challenging roles in classic works. Both actors may be receiving accolades for their big screen performances Langella for reprising his Tony-winning take on the 37th president in the film version of Frost/Nixon and Scott Thomas as a parolee in the poignant French drama I've Loved You So Long, but they’re not sitting on their laurels. Three cheers for returning to the stage!
YOUNG HOLLYWOOD TAKING RISKS
Speaking of Hollywood heavyweights, it's exciting to know that young stars who’ve made it big in Tinseltown still come to Broadway to hone their craft. It’s not like they need the fame, money or glory of the stage—and keeping up with a grueling eight-shows-a-week schedule is not everyone’s idea of a good time. So hats off to the work ethic of celebs like Equus’ Daniel Radcliffe you know him as Harry Potter, Speed-the-Plow’s Elisabeth Moss you know her as Mad Men’s Peggy Olson and All My Sons’ Katie Holmes a.k.a. Mrs. Tom Cruise for taking on the demands of the Great White Way. They are almost certainly better for it, and we're lucky to have them.
THE ROLE OF A LIFETIME
Sometimes a role and a performer were made for each other. This is the case with Gypsy’s Momma Rose and Tony winner Patti LuPone. It’s the kind of performance you’ll tell your grandkids about: brassy, funny, smart, heartrending… breathtaking. We know we put Patti at the top of our Top 10 Divas list and we know she swept every conceivable award for her performance… And we also know that Gypsy is closing in March, so we’re just going to give thanks one last time that we got to witness her performance and then we’ll shut up about it… and for that you can be grateful.
AUDIENCES HAVING THEIR SAY
There was a time when Broadway lived and died by the pen of the New York Times critic. Shows opened and closed based almost entirely on one man’s opinion. Well, that day has come and gone, my friends. Now audiences are the hitmakers; it’s so democratic! Without we the people, Wicked, The Little Mermaid, Mamma Mia! and Grease to name but a few would not be packing ’em in a year or more after opening night. Are you, the audience, more important than one person’s view? Yes, you are. Are you able to make a show a smashing success just by sharing your feelings with your family and friends? Yes, you can. That’s change we can believe in.
THE FUN IN DYSFUNCTIONAL
The big feast at the center of Thanksgiving can also be one big headache, with bickering and hurt feelings as old tensions flare up. You may even find yourself needing a few days to detox from your supposed vacation. Well, honey, your life is a picnic compared to the families depicted on Broadway right now in August: Osage County, Dividing the Estate and The Seagull. All three plays feature over-the-top, controlling mothers a vindictive pill-popper, a domineering Texas widow and a selfish, vain actress, respectively. Be grateful you’re not related to any of them, and then relax and enjoy how much fun it is to watch dysfunctional families that are not yours.
THE TRIUMPH OF STAGE TO SCREEN
For a while there, everyone was bemoaning the screen-to-stage adaptations that have become so prevalent. But whoosh! That one-way street is now a two-lane highway as the film adaptations of Doubt and Frost/Nixon hit the big screen this holiday season. We’re so happy the rest of the world is waking up to our obsession! And who knew there would be a comeback of the movie musical in our lifetime? But it is indeed alive and well with the success of Chicago, Mamma Mia! and Hairspray. Did we mention the DVD versions make terrific stocking stuffers? Hint, hint. And yes, there are still screen-to-stagers to love out there. Perhaps you’ve heard of a little show called Shrek?
CHESTNUTS STILL ROASTING
What do you do when your picky in-laws are coming in town and want to see a Broadway musical? Honestly, there is only one option if you like them and/or want to keep the peace: Send them to a show that works. We are pleased shows that work are also shows that continue to dazzle and impress. A few chestnuts to be thankful for: The Phantom of the Opera—still mesmerizing, romantic and enthralling; The Lion King—we’ve never met anyone who didn’t love it; and Jersey Boys—but be careful, it’s so good your in-laws may want to move in with you so they can keep going back to see it again and again.
HOLIDAY FARE TO REMEMBER
Thanksgiving is the official start of the holidays despite the Christmas music that’s been playing at the drugstore since Halloween, and we are grateful to live in a city with polished seasonal fare. If you grew up in a town with a bad rendition of A Christmas Carol as the only holiday option, then rejoice in the glory of White Christmas’ tap-dancing, Slava’s Snowshow’s avalanche of fun and the mother of all yuletide shows, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular—complete with the amazing Rockettes. More of a bah-humbug type? Get tickets to see Liza Minnelli back on the boards. If Liza singing “New York, New York” doesn’t warm your heart, nothing will!