Girls, Can You Believe We Are One-Twelfth Through 2025??????????????????

                                     January has never been my favorite month; the season grinds to a halt, transition back to the norm sets in, and everything is deadly dull and long.

                                       Well, not THIS January!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        Four shows--"Maybe Happy Ending," "Sunset Blvd.," "A Wonderful World--The Louis Armstrong Musical," and "Gypsy!"  Like I said, once I wanted to be a theater/film critic, but, my God, this is exhausting!!!!!!!!!!   A show every week? If I was actually practicing professionally, it would be a show every night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           And two birthday parties for my beloved David, both of which went smoothly, though our favorite was just the two of us at Chadwick's.

                                            I feel so behind in my reading.  I read 7 books this month and feel I should have read twice as many.  I love the book I am reading now--"The God Of The Woods," but hardly can find any time to read.  My life, my career!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             That is me, in the picture, on the left.  No wonder I look so worn out!  At least my couture is perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                               So, that was January, darlings.  Wishing you all a romantic February, which is a short month, and should go really fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                  See you next month, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Happy Belated Birthday To Elliott Forrest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           Elliott Forrest is the midday DJ on the classical station WQXR.  He happens to be my favorite, and Baby Gojira just loves him.  He plays a lot of my favorites, and he has great respect for film scores, as he demonstrates every afternoon with his "Score At Four."

                            January 20 was Elliott's birthday, and I was surprised to see he was 68, meaning he was born in 1957, just a few years younger than I.  On the radio he sounds a lot younger.

                              Happy Birthday, Elliott, hope you had a fine celebration, and keep broadcasting.

                              Oh, and Little Pippin likes you too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This "Gypsy" Lights The Lights, But Fails To Hit The Heights!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        How one views the current revival of "Gypsy," now at the Majestic Theatre depends on how well one does or does not know the show.

                                         Those not knowing, or ever having seen "Gypsy," have a slight advantage, because, for them, this might turn out to be a satisfying theater experience.

                                          But--

                                          For those of us who know the show--gays and Theater Queens who, when young, lived our lives through this show until every word and move was in our bloodstream-- this revival will be something of a disappointment.  While not as bad as Bernadette Peters in 2003, this "Gypsy" has the same problem--a fine supporting cast, but a leading lady not up to the vocal demands of the role.

                                            Audra McDonald acts up a storm in this role; she plays it less like "King Lear," as this show has always been compared to, and more like "Medea," which is more appropriate.  Unfortunately, her singing detracts from the power of the score.  I knew she was in trouble when I heard her sing "Some People," but by the time she got to "Everything's Coming Up Roses," I was on the edge of my seat, not, unfortunately, because of the power of the delivery, but because I worried, she was not going to make it through the number. She barely had enough breath control to take on those lyrics, not to mention she cannot belt, so when she does, she goes up to head voice and loses vocal control and breath.  Oh, and "Rose's Turn" she gasped her way through!!!!!!!!!!!!  Like this--"Well someone tell me (Gasp!) when is it my turn? (Gasp!) don't I get a dream for myself (Gasp!!)" Are you kidding me?  This is NOT the way to perform Rose in "Gypsy," and I do not accept it!

                                              However--

                                              The show is a familial tragedy and has always been viewed as about a mother who pushes her children to the success she always wanted, feeling she was better than anyone else, because she was, as she says, "born too soon, and started too late."

                                                But, using Audra's vocal inadequacies to her favor "Gypsy' could be viewed through a more tragic prism--the woman who thought she had it all, but never did.  In this context, it could work, but the question remains.

                                                  This is eight shows a week, darlings!  Eight!  Which makes me wonder how long can Audra hold her voice before it gives out??????????   Bernadette's revival did not run that long, so she saved her voice.  But Audra worshippers are cramming to get into the Majestic, and that is not likely to stop soon.  And then there is a possibility of Audra getting a seventh TONY Award?  Can she hold out till then?  More shall be revealed.

                                                     Now, Danny Burstein, perhaps the obvious choice, is a perfect Herbie.  Joy Woods is a revelation aa the neglected Louise, and her rendition of "Little Lamb" is heartbreaking.  Her transition to Gypsy Rose Lee is impressive, though she does go up on one line.  When she comes out introducing herself in French, she omits the line "And that concludes my entire performance....in French!"  "Gypsy" afficionados are sure to pick up on things like this.  And the dressing room scene does not play as well as it should.

                                                          Why does Rose, in the opening, eat dog food?  Why are the boys' first "Extra!" transposed down, when they do the second one perfectly?  Why does Jordan Tyson as June let the audience see her disappointment at her mother on stage, but when time to verbalize she does a half assed job?  No bitterness or resentment at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Why do some scenes play too fast, and others too slow?  As for the new choreography, duh, who cares?  And I prefer the strobe lights!!!!!!!!!! Why, when Rose clutches Louise to her at the end of the Act I finale, does it come off more as comic, than frightening??????????????   Why not more June and Baby June splits????????????  Why does Rose, who is from Seattle, speak in a Southern accent, and no one else does?  Is she trying to play Rosa Parks????????

                                                              George C. Wolfe, what in the hell were you trying to do?  Did you even know?  You may be four months older than I, but I could stage a better "Gypsy," and in my next post I will prove it!   Do you even know what the show is about???????????  Or couldn't you decide and try to make it both ways??????????  That is what it looks like and it does NOT work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  But the three strippers--Lesli Margherita, Lili Thomas, and Mylinda Hull, DO stop the show!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                 "Gypsy" deserves better.  Those who want to see the glow of what this show really is, get on YouTube and watch the production with Patti LuPone and Laura Benanti.

                                                                      Oh, and another thing. Chowsie and Caroline deserve their own curtain calls.  And maybe TONY Awards.

                                                                       One of the show's best lines is "You either have it/Or you've had it.  With Audra McDonald at the helm, this "Gypsy" has had it.

                                                                         As Leigh Ann Larkin's June said in Patti Lupone's revival, and so bitterly, "It....is.... a....terrible.... act!"

                                                                         Which is how I feel about this "Gypsy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                                

                                          

Who Knew Visiting "Gypsy" Would Turn Out To Be A Birthday Celebration??????????????????????

                                       I know so many of you are waiting to hear my comments on the actual production of this "Gypsy," and I promise to deliver, but this is a belated birthday wish to someone in the theater community, and what better way to honor that person than by attending the theater.

                                         So, just who is this person??????????????????????

                          The theatrical divinity that is none other than Celia Keenan-Bolger!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                          Celia turned 47 on Sunday, July 26, the day we saw "Gypsy."  I cannot think of any better way to honor Celia than with a visit to the theater.

                          Doesn't Celia look fabulous?  She will always have that eternal child-woman quality.

                          We should all look good at that age, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, Hurry Up And See This, Before It Closes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    It is a shame that this show has posted a closing date of  February 23, since there is so much good theater in it.

                                     James Monroe Iglehart, who plays the title role of Louis Armstrong, is the first performance I have seen this season where a man is of award caliber.  The voice, the mannerisms he incorporates into a characterization so believable one almost believes Armstrong is there.  And it does not shie away from the seedier aspects of his life--wives, women, drugs, and smoking, all of which I am sure aided in his death.  Whenever Iglehart is onstage one cannot take one's eyes off him, he is that compelling.  I would expect him to get a TONY nomination for his work; if not, then what the hell is the matter?????????????????????

                                      Then there is Darlesia Cearcy, as Lucille Wilson, aka "Brown Sugar."  Of the women in Armstrong's life, hers is not only the most prominent of them all, but she also gives the best performance.  Her vocals are top notch, and she can move with the best of them. There is a little show over at the Majestic called "Gypsy" that I think she would be fabulous at, in the part of Rose.  I am not kidding, girls!  But then she is not the so-called Almighty Audra!!!!!!!!!!!  And if you think that is just a taste of my review post for "Gypsy," you are right, darlings.  "A Wonderful World" does everything right.  "Gypsy," on the other hand....................

                                           Ricky Henshaw's choreography and Christoper Renshaw's choreography keep what I expected to be a low energy show and lengthy, have made good with this fast moving, never stopping for a momnent, type of show, with endless, abundant energy.  Yes, he sings, the title song, and yes, he sings "Hello, Dolly!"  My only regret is no drag queen stood in for BARBRA, to recreate that iconic scene in the movie.

                                                 I had low expectations going into this show, but sometimes those can turn out to be the biggest surprise.  "A Wonderful World" is that, and I urge you to see it before it closes.

                                                    Like the show's character would say, "This is Louis, Dolly!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                             

                                           

OK, Audra, Show Us What You Can Do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                       This is the day The Raving Queen visits "Gypsy" at the Majestic Theatre.  I refuse to call it "Audra/Gypsy," because as of now I think Patti LuPone and Laura Benanti's production was the best, and I have a feeling this will be, while not as disappointing as Bernadette Peters in 2003, pretty close.

                           Poor Joy Woods, in the photo above, looks scared and smothered.  She is on the right track.  But if this is how Audra thinks she is going to deliver "Everything' s Coming Up Roses," she is going to face backlash from Theater Queens such as I, who are obsessed with how "Gypsy" should be performed.  One false move, and I will send her six or more pages on how to play the role, just like Trish Hawkins did when Sarah Paulson played Hawkins' signature role of Sally Talley in a "Talley's Folley" revival, back in 2013.

                             Thirty-one years ago, in 1994, a fresh-faced Audra blew us away the minute she opened her mouth to sing 'Mister Snow' in "Carousel."  That face is not so fresh now, and taking on a role beyond her vocal capabilities has me questioning her judgement. Or her agent and managers.  This role is often called the "King Lear" of musical theater; because of its plot I would say itis more like "Medea." Will Audra do "Rose's Turn" in a dress covered with blood, like Medea?  Only time will tell, darlings, and I will be sure to tell you everything.

                                 Get set, Audra and Company!  The Raving Queen is on the way, and you had better do right by this show.

                                   You won't just get Patti LuPone-ed.  You will get Raving Queen-ed!

                                  Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, If You Want To Swoon Over Jonathan Groff--And Who Doesn't?????????--This Is The Show To Do It!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                          Twenty years ago, before he became a known sexual predator, Kevin Spacey, then a great actor, did a vanity film for his mother called "Beyond The Sea."  I remember going to see it, and the theater had a dozen people.  During the film, two folks walked out.

                           Spacey was just too old for the role.  Kate Bosworth, who played Sandra Dee, looked like his daughter, standing next to him.

                             But Spacey's vocals were pretty good.  His mother was pleased, because she loved Bobby Darin, which is why he made the film in the first place.  I was astonished at this skill I never thought he had.  He parlayed it into a brief nightclub act in Manhattan, and then aboard a cruise ship.

                             He never utilized this skill again.  Pity.

                             Now, Jonathan Groff, who won a TONY Award for humanizing a hitherto inhumane character--Franklin Shepard in "Merrily We Roll Along"--is assuming the role of Darin in this show called "Just In Time."  It begins performances at the Circle In The Square in late March and opens sometime in April.  Groff is a fine actor, and a fine young man, and you girls all know how I appreciate fine young men!!!!!!!!!

                              Groff's vocals outdo Spacey's in ways the latter could not even do.  I am so looking forward to seeing Jonathan in this, hoping, he will win a third TONY Award for this, or at least be nominated.

                             But who am I to talk?  Listen to Groff yourselves, girls.

                             Here he is singing "Dream Lover!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                           Clutch those pillows, and dream of Jonathan, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!