Book Review - Mistress Shakespeare

Mistress Shakespeare: A Novel
Karen Harper
404 pages

Mistress Shakespeare is a story about Anne Whateley, the true love of William Shakespeare’s life. It is written in Anne’s point of view and is basically her writing her own memoir for future generations. The memoir begins when she is a girl and first meets Will. It then follows their young friendship, budding romance, and Romeo & Juliet-esque life long relationship/marriage. The only true fact is that there was a marriage license filed for a Will Shakespeare and Anne Whateley, however, all other aspects are based on the author’s personal research and opinion. Despite the debate on fictional vs non fictional, it is a great love story set in the Elizabethan period. It guides you on an interesting tour of Shakespeare’s best works and the events going on in his life that could have influenced why and how he wrote them. Anne is a very strong and independent woman and not the typical damsel-in-distress heroine of the times. She tries very hard to not live her life by her feelings for Will. Yes, she is one of Will’s biggest promoters but that is because she also believes in the work, his talent, and theater as a whole.

I am glad I read this but it did not overly thrill me. I enjoyed mostly the anecdotes about the works of Shakespeare but the love story aspect left me unfulfilled. But that could be because I am not a big romance person. I enjoy a good relationship in my story but not as the focus on my story (as long as you don’t look at my tween-vampire book weakness).

Theater Review - Jersey Boys - 3/21/2010

It has been two years since I have written a review of a show. If I can remember correctly I believe since the last one I have seen: Alive in the World Benefit, Mamma Mia, The Little Mermaid, Sunday in the Park with George, Xanadu, In the Heights, Chess (Seattle community production directed by the amazing Mr. Roy), Damn Yankees (City Center), Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy, Play it Cool (New York Musical Theater Festival), 39 Steps, In the Heights (again), Equus, Pal Joey, Shrek The Musical, Billy Elliot, Rent Tour, Defying Gravity: An Evening with Stephen Schwartz, and Jersey Boys. If I can find my playbills and have some time I will attempt to backtrack and write reviews, no promises though.

Jersey Boys
August Wilson Theatre
245 W. 52nd Street
Sunday 3/21/10 – 3:00PM

When I received the call from my mother telling me she got us tickets to Jersey Boys, I was excited. I had already seen the show the summer prior, but it was such a fun and amazing show that I had absolutely no problem seeing it again. And it did not disappoint.

For those living under a rock, Jersey Boys is the smash hit musical based on the life story and music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It won the 2006 Tony Award for Best Musical and has been playing to sold out crowds ever since. The story takes you from the original roots, young men singing under a street light on the streets of New Jersey to the peak of fame, the downfall and struggles and ends in the present (or well present as of 2005). All four characters take a turn narrating the action: Tommy DeVito & Bob Gaudio in Act 1 and Nick Massi and Frankie Valli in Act II. In doing this, you are able to develop more personal relationships with each of the members and get to know more about their individual personalities. It is a very fast paced musical and keeps you on your toes. There is obviously a lot of material and songs to cover and they have tried to include as much as possible. This was one of my personal favorite aspects of the show, the transitions between scenes and songs. The cast it self brings most of the props on and off stage, but it looks seamless. The four leads especially are non stop running around the stage, up the stairs and over the bridge to pretty much launch right into another song. The vocals of these songs are strenuous enough, then add the physicality of the roles and I don’t know how the actors do it, but they do. Other than the four leads mostly every other actor fills in for multiple roles which is interesting to me. You get to see someone in several different ways.

All of the groups biggest hits are featured such as: “Sherry”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “Walk Like a Man”, December 1963 (Oh, What a Night), “My Eyes Adored You”, “Dawn (Go Away), “Big Man in Town”, “Beggin”, “Stay”, “Let’s Hang On (To What We’ve Got”, “Bye Bye Baby”, “C’mon Marianne”, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”, “Working My Way Back to You”, “Rag Doll” and “Who Loves You”. All songs are intertwined with dialogue and stories about what was currently going on.

The actors were amazing. I never saw the original cast live, but I have seen this cast twice and I was not disappointed one bit. Jarrod Spector was phenomenal as Frankie Valli. He physically looked the part and his voice was breathtaking. It is a very demanding role and he made it look easy. He had a lot of charisma with the rest of the cast. His “Fallen Angel” performance was hauntingly painful and beautiful at the same time and had even me crying, and that is not easy. I went to this performance as part of a bus trip and a lot of the group had seen the show with the original cast and there was a lot of chatter about Jarrod outperforming John Lloyd Young. I also greatly enjoyed his “My Eyes Adored You”.

Sebastian Arcelus was a joy as Bob Gaudio. The interactions between him and Jarrod were my favorite moments. You could really believe the love and friendship between the two characters. This is most seen during “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” where Bob is seen standing above alone watching Frankie with a look of pride and then they both look at each other in mutual admiration and Bob walks off smiling. Such a small moment, but touched me the most. I also greatly enjoyed Sebastian’s performance of “December, 1963).

Dominic Nolfi as Tommy DeVito was the new addition for myself. When I saw the show in August he was out and his understudy Erik Bates was on. This is the comedic role of the show and Dominic was great and kept the audiences entertained but I kind of preferred Erik’s take better. Dominic, to me, was a bit too exaggerated. But he had a smooth voice that complimented the role perfectly. Matt Bogart was there once again as Nick Massi. The role is sort of one-note but he does a great job with it. He is quiet and in the background of the group but gets some great moments. His “rooming with Tommy” scene in the beginning of Act II was hilarious. And I also have to point out how much I loved Peter Gregus as Bob Crewe. Such a fun performance, and it is really cool to know that he has been with the show since it was still in California. He did not seem bored at all with his role.

I definitely suggest everyone checking out this show at least once, but if you are like me, one time will not be enough. Being a Jersey girl, born and raised, the in jokes never get old and made me relate and enjoy it that much more. Hearing the town you work in mentioned in a Broadway show never gets old! It was also wonderful to see the show with my mother and her generation who grew up at the same time as the story and hear all their personal experiences. Who knew the members, family of the members, saw them perform in the early days, etc. It brought them all back to their hay day and you can see how much it meant to them.

Big thank you first to Johnny and Doug for taking me the first time and letting me lose my “virginity” right next to one of JB’s biggest fans!  And second, thank you to American Legion Post 227 in Totowa, NJ for putting together the second trip.

Goodbye RENT

The producers of long time running Broadway musical RENT announced today that they will be closing their doors June 1, 2008.

http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=24337

I can't way I am shocked, but it does hit a certain spot in my heart. The grosses have sucked, casts second rate, etc. But this was the show that turned me onto the love of musicals. I saw it for my 16th birthday and it opened my eyes to so many things. I thought I lead a rebellious life since a smoke cigarettes, drank beer, swore, and was just general "bad ass". Of course this was in suburbia, that didn't register back then. But I saw this show and was exposed to this notion of this disease AIDS. Oh so you aren't supposed to not just have unprotected sex so you didn't get pregnant but now there are diseases. The show itself isn't the greatest thing and is not for everyone. There are major plot holes and cheesy cliches but the underlying themes of strength, love, friendship, and survival still ring true.

I haven't decided if I am going to see it again, having seen it four times this summer. Having seen the emotion in that room the last night of The Return with Adam & Anthony, I don't know if I want to replace that memory. We'll see.

Seeing this does make me sad though:
http://www.siteforrent.com/

Books I Have Read

On going list of books I've read (bold ones are the most recent)

A Lion Among Men: Volume Three in the Wicked Years - Gregory Maguire
Angels & Demons – Dan Brown
Angels in America: Part One: Millennium Approaches - Tony Kushner
Angels in America: Part Two: Perestroika - Tony Kushner
Broadway Nights: A Romp of Life, Love, and Musical Theatre - Seth Rudetsky
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister - Gregory Maguire

Dark Lover - A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood #1- J.R. Ward

Darkly Dreaming Dexter – Jeff Lindsay
Dork Whore: My Travels Through Asia as a Twenty-Year-Old Pseudo-Virgin – Iris Bahr
How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship, & Musical Theater – Marc Acito
Inherit the Wind – Jerome Lawrence & Robert E. Lee
Invisible: A Novel - Paul Auster
Judge & Jury – James Patterson
Lady Q - The Rise and Fall of a Latin Queen - Reymundo Sanches & Sonia Rodriguez
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring – J.R. Tolkien
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – J.R. Tolkien
Lover Eternal - A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood #2- J.R. Ward

Marley & Me – John Grogan
Middlesex: A Novel - Jeffrey Eugenides
Mirror, Mirror - Gregory Maguire
Mistress Shakespeare: A Novel – Karen Harper
Orpheus Descending – Tennessee Willaims
Our Town – Thorton Wilder
Outliers: The Story of Success – Malcolm Gladwell
Palo Alto: Stories - James Franco
Period of Adjustment – Tennessee Williams
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies – Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith
Ragtime – E.L. Doctrow
Son of a Witch: Volume Two in the Wicked Years  – Gregory Maguire
Speak of the Devil: A Novel of Suspense - Richard Hawke
Spring’s Awakening – Frank Wedekind
State of Fear – Michael Crichton
Stripping Gypsy: The Life of Gypsy Rose Lee - Noralee Frankel
Suddenly Last Summer – Tennessee Williams
Summer and Smoke - Tennessee Williams
Sundays at Tiffanys - James Patterson
Supernatural: Nevermore - Keith R.A. DeCandido
The Columnist – Jeffery Frank
The DaVinci Code – Dan Brown
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson
The Glass Menagerie –Tennessee Williams
The Hobbit – J.R. Tolkien
The Homecoming - Harold Pinter
The Ice Queen – Alice Hoffman
The Lost Symbol – Dan Brown
The Jester – James Patterson
The Magicians - Lev Grossman
The Matchmaker - Thorton Wilder
The Mephisto Club - Tess Gerritsen
The Most Evil Secret Societies in History – Shelley Klein
The Normal Heart - Larry Kramer
The Pact - Jodi Piccult
The Phantom of Manhattan - Frederick Forsyth
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
The Princess Bride – William Goldman
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane - Katherine Howe
The Time Travelers Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
The Q Guide to Broadway – Seth Rudetsky
The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening & The Struggle – L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Fury & Dark Reunion – L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Return Vol 1: Nightfall – L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Return Vol 2: Shadow Souls - L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries #1: Origins - L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries #2: Bloodlust
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Tuesdays With Morrie - Mitch Albom
Twilight Series – Stephanie Meyer
Twilight
New Moon
Eclipse
Breaking Dawn
Waking Up - Joe Traum
Water for Elephants: A Novel - Sara Gruen
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West - Gregory Maguire
Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical RENT – Anthony Rapp
You’ve Been Warned – James Patterson

Alex Cross Series – James Patterson
Along Came a Spider
Kiss the Girls
Jack & Jill
Cat and Mouse
Pop Goes the Weasel
Roses are Red
Violets Are Blue
Four Blind Mice
The Big Bad Wolf
London Bridges
Mary, Mary
Cross
Double Cross
Cross Country
I, Alex Cross

John Grisham Collection
A Time to Kill
The Firm
The Pelican Brief
The Client
The Chamber
The Rainmaker
The Runaway Jury
The Partner
The Street Lawyer
The Testament
The Brethren
The Summons
The King of Torts
The Last Juror
The Broker
The Appeal
The Associate
The Confession
A Painted House
Skipping Christmas
Bleachers
Playing for Pizza
The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town
Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer
Ford County

Sookie Stackhouse Series

Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 1) - Charlaine Harris
Living Dead in Dallas (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 2) - Charlaine Harris
Club Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 3) - Charlaine Harris
Dead to the World (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 4) - Charlaine Harris
Dead as a Doornail (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 5) - Charlaine Harris
Definitely Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 6) - Charlaine Harris
All Together Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 7) - Charlaine Harris
From Dead to Worse (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 8) - Charlaine Harris
Dead and Gone (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 9) - Charlaine Harris

Michael Connelly Books
Echo Park - Michael Connelly

The Brass Verdict - Michael Connelly

The Lincoln Lawyer – Michael Connelly

The Poet - Michael Connelly
The Narrows - Michael Connelly
The Scarecrow - Michael Connelly
The Reversal - Micahel Connelly
Crime Beat - A Decade of Covering Cops and Killers - Michael Connelly

The Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games
Catching Fire

Review - The Homecoming - 1/31/2008

The Homecoming

Cort Theatre

138 W 48^th Street

Sunday 1/13/08 – 3:00PM

The Homecoming is a famous dark play written by legend Harold Pinter. I had no prior exposure to him before hearing about this show coming to broadway. When it was announced I ebayed a copy of the play and read it on the plane to Vegas. It is a short work and I had it read in less than an hour. I started out enjoying it but then it took too many sub contextual turns and never really wrapped itself off. I am all for twisted and dark pieces, but I need an underlying and consistent plot to really dive in. Maybe it is my lack of knowledge or readings of great works, but I am trying. Here is my understanding of the plot. The story takes place in London England circa 1960-1970. The main characters Max (father – Ian McShane famous for Deadwood series on HBO), Sam (Max’s brother – Michael McKean famous for many TV shows, Saturday Night Live, and Spinal Tap movies), Lenny (Max’s middle son – Raul Esparza), Teddy (Max’s Eldest Son – James Frain), Joey (Max’s youngest son - Gareth Saxe), and Ruth (Teddy’s wife – Eve Best). Eldest son Teddy and his wife Ruth come back to England for a surprise family visit. The family does not know he is married, so this has caused a shock. Max plays almost an impotent type man trying to still play the macho patriarch of the family. Lenny’s occupation is not exactly clear until the end of the play, and Joey is a budding boxer. Most of the story I guess revolves the power struggle and role sexuality plays in a circle of people - the need for dominance. The most open ended question is whether Ruth is being controlled, or actually the manipulator. But are these strong men really that vulnerable to be so easily controlled by feminine sexual appeal? There are many “WTF” moments whether via plot or sheet shock at the staging, which isn’t a bad thing, but the show just ends so abruptly. I’m sure there are many papers, reviews, critiques on the inner workings of the show, and delves into these questions, but I still don’t get it. But maybe that is how it is supposed to be; leaving it undefined and open for interpretation.

Performances were excellent from the whole cast. Actually a little scary how close they were to how I imagined them to be when reading the play originally. I don’t know if it was my previous interest in Raul’s theater credits, but it was so hard to keep his character in focus. I’m not faulting him for this, but his London accent was scarily similar to the one used in Taboo, and I have been on a Taboo kick lately. Any moment I was waiting for him to come out dressed in drag. The character was a bit too lovable in my opinion, strange as it may seem. I always thought you would want to be sickened in a way by Lenny in a way, but Raul came off sort of friendly. Eve Best took a bit to warm up too, but she came up punching at the end of Act 2.

After the show, we were able to take pictures and briefly speak to James, Ian, Michael, and Raul. They were very nice and patient. Michael actually asked if I had read the play and I was all excited to actually engage in conversation about it, when someone he knew popped out of no where and stole his attention, boo! However, he remember he promised us pictures and after his conversation ended came right over to us. That was very kind.

Review - Young Frankenstein - 12/7/2007

Young Frankenstein

Hilton Theatre

213 W 42^nd Street

Friday December 7, 2007 – 8:00PM

I had purchased these tickets the day they went on public sale I think in July, figuring the craze for tickets would be similar to how it is. We had center balcony seats and they were really not that bad, very roomy. The Hilton Theatre itself is very beautiful and big.

The show itself was good, not great but not bad. I don’t think it would get the whipping it does if it is not the “successor” of The Producers. In The Producers, the cheap lines and gags just kind of flowed and you didn’t notice them, but in YF they are very blatant- funny, but blatant. The songs were cute but not exactly catching. Sets were great and performances were excellent. Roger Bart was good as Frederick, and I can definitely see Hunter Foster filling this role after Roger and Sutton leave the show. Megan has a definite stage presence but I feel was wasted in the possibilities she could have brought to the show. The stand out for me was Christopher Fitzgerald as Igor. He just blew me away in every thing he did, small or big as part of the role.

After the show, a friend who works for the show was able to bring us backstage which was just incredible! Finally, the whole process was sort of brought full circle for me. I got to see dressing rooms, wig rooms, costume rooms, green rooms, backstage, props, set pieces, and even got to walk across the stage and look out towards the empty theater. What an incredible feeling!! The way they maneuver the sets and store them is amazing. So much goes on to put on the 2 hour show you see that one never sees or even thinks about.

Overall a cute show that I was glad I got to see. It will be around a while, but I don’t think it will reach cult status like The Producers or even the original YF film.

Review - Frankenstein - 11/12/2007

Frankenstein

37 Arts

450 West 37^th Street

Sunday November 11, 2007 3:00PM

Frankenstein was a concept musical based on the actual novel by Mary Shelley. The story of Victor Frankenstein and his struggle to contain the creature he brought to life, and the horror it inflicts on his life. This a dark story of cat and mouse. There had already been a concept album for the show previously, however I do not know if there was ever an actual staging until this. It obviously is a very rough sell to begin with and the critics did not help it much.

Overall the book and lyrics were a very big downfall of this show. It started off very slow and was honestly the first time I considered just closing my eyelids. The send of Act 1 and Act 2 picked up the pace a bit to make it tolerable. I felt so bad to think this way because the performers were excellent. They made the most of the material given to them. I will give them and A for effort because I can’t see this material as a musical at all, but they did what they could. The songs were forgettable but the stage design and direction was very interesting. I liked their use of projection screens and the stair cases.

Hunter Foster gave a great take on the troubled genius Dr. Victor Frankenstein. He was rarely off stage and didn’t have easy songs but he pressed on with great ability. He and Steve Blanchard worked well as master/creation. Steve had the most of a role to work with and played it very well. Not monster or animated, but as a disfigured, tortured, angry man that you were scared of yet felt for. It was a very physical role as well as vocally strong. His naked abdominal section wasn’t exactly a bad thing either.

I’m glad I was able to catch this show, even if for the sole fact to add it to my ever growing love of Hunter. Even if I do not thoroughly enjoy a show, I am glad to take the chance and explore other mediums and subject matter.