(Ann) Leslie and I met up in NYC to see the Tony nominated shows and performances that we missed on our other Broadway trips this season.
Everyday Rapture was a hit off-Broadway last year and came to Broadway at the 11th hour as a result of the cancellation of
Lips Together, Teeth Apart. The show stars and is co written by the incredibly talented Sherie Rene Scott and tell the musical story of her career - she starred in Little Mermaid and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - and her early life as a Mennonite in Kansas. Scott grew up in a fiercely religious community with two loves--Judy Garland and Jesus. The conflict of being a performer in a community where all performers- including Mr. Rodgers- are viewed as sinners is the focus of the show. Sherie is a huge talent and sings with so little effort that it is amazing. She breaks out into a song in the middle of a sentence and makes it seem like the easiest thing in the world. Her story is amusing and well-told but the large American Airlines Theater seems like the wrong venue for this show.
Friday night we saw David Mamet's latest play - Race. The show has an all-star cast including James Spader, David Alan Grier, Kerry Washington and Richard Thomas. The reviews of the show were not the greatest but the theater has been selling out every night so we thought we should see it. Plus
David Alan Grier was nominated for a Tony. We both found it to be an interesting, thought provoking look at the controversial issue of race. Spader and Grier are partners in a law firm and a wealthy white man accused of raping a Black woman is seeking their representation. Washington is an associate at the firm and is very sceptical of this client and does several things to undermine the case. The discussion of race and the trial tactics the attorneys plan to use to prove his innocence are very interesting. The plot has some gaping holes and Race is not Mamet at his best but it's a worthwhile 90 minutes.
We ended the day with a couple of Cosmos at Pigalle's where we talked about the play late into the night.
Everyday Rapture was a hit off-Broadway last year and came to Broadway at the 11th hour as a result of the cancellation of
Lips Together, Teeth Apart. The show stars and is co written by the incredibly talented Sherie Rene Scott and tell the musical story of her career - she starred in Little Mermaid and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - and her early life as a Mennonite in Kansas. Scott grew up in a fiercely religious community with two loves--Judy Garland and Jesus. The conflict of being a performer in a community where all performers- including Mr. Rodgers- are viewed as sinners is the focus of the show. Sherie is a huge talent and sings with so little effort that it is amazing. She breaks out into a song in the middle of a sentence and makes it seem like the easiest thing in the world. Her story is amusing and well-told but the large American Airlines Theater seems like the wrong venue for this show.Friday night we saw David Mamet's latest play - Race. The show has an all-star cast including James Spader, David Alan Grier, Kerry Washington and Richard Thomas. The reviews of the show were not the greatest but the theater has been selling out every night so we thought we should see it. Plus
David Alan Grier was nominated for a Tony. We both found it to be an interesting, thought provoking look at the controversial issue of race. Spader and Grier are partners in a law firm and a wealthy white man accused of raping a Black woman is seeking their representation. Washington is an associate at the firm and is very sceptical of this client and does several things to undermine the case. The discussion of race and the trial tactics the attorneys plan to use to prove his innocence are very interesting. The plot has some gaping holes and Race is not Mamet at his best but it's a worthwhile 90 minutes.We ended the day with a couple of Cosmos at Pigalle's where we talked about the play late into the night.
