(Ann) Saturday we saw the matinee of Memphis which, after lukewarm reviews, has turned out to be a huge Broadway hit. It's an energetic musical about the birth of rock and roll full of rocking musical numbers and some very cool choreography. The leads are Chad Kimball and Montego Glover. Chad plays the Memphis DJ who falls in love with the Black singer F
elicia played by Montego Glover. Both are very talented but Chad's southern drawl and slinking around the stage were a little weird and grated on me. He's got a great voice but the real star is the beautiful Montego who can really belt out a tune and has a stunning stage presence. It's an expensive Broadway show which is bringing in the audience in huge numbers but there is nothing really new or different about this show. The CBs enjoyed the choreography more than anything else about this so-so show.
Saturday evening's drama was the absolute standout of the trip. Red is playing at the Golden Theatre and is a fabulous play with amazing performances by the stars Alfred Molina and Eddie Redmayne. This drama,written by John Logan and
coming to Broadway from a sold out run at the Donmar Warehouse in London, tells the story of two years in the life of painter Mark Rothko and Ken, a young man hired to be his assistant. Rothko, an abstract impressionist painter, has just landed the biggest commission in art history, to paint a series of murals for The Four Seasons Restaurant in NYC. The play takes place in Rothko's studio and shows him working on the huge canvases while discussing art and its place in society with his young, star-struck assistant, Ken. As the play progresses Ken becomes more vocal and there is a riveting scene when Ken confronts Rothko about the paintings which seem more like his undoing than his finest achievement. This is a not to be missed play which unfortunately cannot be extended on Broadway because of commitments that the actors have. This was one of the finest plays the CBs have seen in their five years of Broadway-mania!!
Saturday evening's drama was the absolute standout of the trip. Red is playing at the Golden Theatre and is a fabulous play with amazing performances by the stars Alfred Molina and Eddie Redmayne. This drama,written by John Logan and
coming to Broadway from a sold out run at the Donmar Warehouse in London, tells the story of two years in the life of painter Mark Rothko and Ken, a young man hired to be his assistant. Rothko, an abstract impressionist painter, has just landed the biggest commission in art history, to paint a series of murals for The Four Seasons Restaurant in NYC. The play takes place in Rothko's studio and shows him working on the huge canvases while discussing art and its place in society with his young, star-struck assistant, Ken. As the play progresses Ken becomes more vocal and there is a riveting scene when Ken confronts Rothko about the paintings which seem more like his undoing than his finest achievement. This is a not to be missed play which unfortunately cannot be extended on Broadway because of commitments that the actors have. This was one of the finest plays the CBs have seen in their five years of Broadway-mania!!
