Broadway Shows

Mark Shenton, the reviewer for the Stage, had recently returned from New York, where he has had a look at many of the new shows of the season which are all competing for Tony Award recognition, as well as the audiences cash. There are a record number of shows which have opened in the last few weeks, and so it is inevitable that there will be some which will close, as they lose in the battle of enticing the New York audience to come and see them.

It's been many year since I went to New York. Back then I wasn't really that interested in the theatre. The trip was an AS media studies trip to go and see a TV show being recorded, visit a few museums, take in the sights and to go and see a Broadway Show. Everyone wanted to watch the Lion King, but the only night we could go and watch the show was a Tuesday, and The Lion King didn't run on that day, so instead we opted for Chicago. Whilst the show was quite enjoyable, it didn't set the world alight for me as other shows since have done. Now I find myself envious of Mr Shenton, wishing that I could fly over to the Big Apple to watch some of the shows which have just opened.
One of these shows is Wonderland, which is a contemporary version of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, which is set in New York and focuses on a descedent of Alice. From what I have seen the show is visually stunning. The costumes also look very good, and the Mad Hatter looks, and sounds incredible. The score doesn't sound especially amazing, but there do seem to be a couple of memorable songs in there. The choreography doesn't seem to fit in with the music however - it seems to want to be all kinds of genre, and so much of it looks out of place. The reviews for the show haven't been especially kind, but then they weren't either to Wicked, which I loved. I doubt this production will transfer to the West End, and so I will have to just read lots about the show and then buy the cast album when it becomes available.

Anything Goes is another show which has recently opened. Of course, this show is a revival, originally opening on Broadway in 1939! Featuring instantly recognisable songs such as the title track, and It's Delovely, Anything Goes is one of the shows I desperately would like to see. This version stars Sutton Foster, who is argueably one of the current darlings of Broadway - this woman can currently do no wrong - everything she touches turns into a hit, and this is no exception! Looking at the clips on Youtube, this seems to be everything you could ask for of a classic Broadway show. It has exquisite costumes, show stopping numbers, and excellent tap dancing routines which are expertly choreographed! This is another show I would love to see!

Other shows which I would really like to see include Daniel Radcliffe in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and show for which he has secured excellent reviews. The clips for the show online look really good Daniel has obviously put in alot of work to ensure he is physically able to perform 8 shows a week. His dancing also looks very good!

The big musical hit of this season seems to be Trey Parker and Matt Stone's "The Book of Mormon". According to Broadwayworld, this show seems to be selling out every performance, and has queues around the block for returns. It seems to be the hottest ticket in town at the minute. There don't seem to be any clips of the show online yet, but when they appear I will try and post them, because this is one show I am excited about watching!

Mark Shentons favorite show of the new season is Catch Me if You Can, which is based on the film of the same name, starring Tom Hanks and Leonardo Dicaprio. The score is by Marc Shaiman, who also wrote the score for Hairspray. The show looks fun and enjoyable, and is another which I woul like to learn more about.

Some of the other shows which have opened have travelled across the pond. Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, and Sister Act, are both hugely successful shows from London which are gracing The Big White Way. They have both undergone extensive re-writing to suit the American audience, and it is thought that the re-writes will be included back into the London version of Priscilla, which is still running. I am not really that bothered about watching either of these shows, although I wouldn't say no to a ticket!

Broadway this year seems to be enjoying a creative revival, with a huge number of new plays and musicals opening. I'd like to go and see a number of shows, but I fear it will be a while before I get a chance to jump over the pond. Hopefully, by the time I do, some of these shows will still be running!