Ragtime

The revival of the musical Ragtime opened in previews yesterday. Usually the CBs wait to see a show until it's been playing for a while but we took a gamble and saw the show at today's matinée. It is really a lovely show with some wonderful performances. The actor who played Coalhouse- Quentin Earl Darrington- was wonderful and so was the actress who played the mother- Christiane Noll. We were happy to see Bobby Steggert again. We loved him in 110 in the Shade and he is equally terrific in the musical. We only wish he sang more because he has a wonderful voice. If you like a big musical, in the style of Les Miz, make sure to catch this revival of Ragtime.

Hamlet

It's my turn to post (Leslie here) about seeing Hamlet last night. I'm going to keep it short, but sweet. I've studied Hamlet in college and graduate school, I've seen three productions on stage, and I've watched all the movie versions of the play. Watching the play last night was like seeing it for the first time--Jude Law is by far the best Hamlet I can ever hope to see. He inhabits the role and gives it a freshness and life that is completely illuminating. He puts everything he has into this production, and I feel privileged to have experienced it.

A Steady Rain

Thursday night we saw A Steady Rain with Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig. The CultureBuddies were full of anticipation about seeing these mega-stars in the flesh but - within minutes of the curtain opening - they became just two Chicago cops with a story to tell. Their story is riveting with many twists and turns. Both of us barely took a breath during this highly intense acting master class.

The play takes place on a stage with two chairs under two interrogation type lights. There are some subtly shifting buildings in the background but all the action takes place in those two chairs.The play consists totally of dialogues and monologues by these amazing actors who convincingly play imperfect cops complete with perfect Chicago accents. They work together as a team incredibly well. Hugh plays a corrupt cop and Daniel is his alcoholic best friend and partner. As the story unfolds we see just how corrupt the one cop is and how the other cop- played by Daniel- has been tormented and belittled throughout his life by his partner. There are many twists and turns in this 90 minute, one act play but the actors deserve all the hype that this play has received. They both get a big 'CB Thank You' for coming to Broadway! It is the hardest ticket to get in town right now but we think this is a must see.