Full Article Text
Theater: New Musical 'Giant' Has Big
Ambitions...And Scores
GIANT *** 1/2 out of ****
PUBLIC THEATER, NYC
It's your choice: try and grab a ticket now while this show is at the Public or you'll be
buying a ticket to see it on Broadway. Don't worry if you can't snag a seat during its verylimited run (which I assume will be extending at least a little). Giant is a wonderfully
intimate and complex show, but it will fill up a Broadway stage with ease.
You know the story from the novel by Edna Ferber or the somewhat leaden film best
known for containing James Dean's final performance. Giant tells the story of Texas and it
tells the story of Bick Benedict which amounts to the same thing. Spanning almost thirtyyears, the show begins like the novel, with Bick and his wife Leslie (Kate Baldwin) havingit out late in their marriage and then jumps back in time to show where it all began.
Bick is a rancher, burning with a passion to breed cattle and feed the world, working side
by side with his tough as leather sister Lux (Michele Pawk). Imagine her shock when Bickis sidetracked from marrying the girl next door (mind you, "next door" is 80 miles away)and comes home from a trip with a new thoroughbred horse and a new bride. Then thesoap opera really begins: ranch hand Jett Rink (PJ Griffith in the James Dean role)
develops a hankering for Leslie and an even bigger hankering for money when he strikes
oil on what was thought to be a worthless scrap of land.
Soon a dark stain is seeping in everywhere: Leslie feels the town (essentially owned by
Bick) features shabby homes for their workers. She tries to befriend the Mexicans, learn
Spanish and open Bick's heart to injustice all at the same time. He just wants to rope and
ride the range and be a rancher. In the nimble book by Sybille Pearson, we speed alonguntil their two children are young adults with daughter Lil Lux (Mackenzie Mauzy) clearlyin love with the ranch while the stammering, bookish son Jordy (Bobby Steggert) has hismother's social conscience -- the fact that dating a Mexican girl is an act of rebellion is justicing on the cake.
April 29, 2014
This is the print preview:
Back to normal view »
Posted: 11/16/2012 1:17 am
On and on the story tumbles, but that's the bare bones plot. This is a musical with songs
and score by Michael John LaChiusa and it's his most tuneful work since The Wild Party
(that woefully unappreciated show that will be a hit when it's revived some day soon).
Without sacrificing any of the sophistication he has always been capable of and wisely
without trying to incorporate a heavy Texas twang, LaChiusa delivers a collection of songsthat are both direct and very ambitious.
The show begins quietly and the first song is in Spanish, a charmer called "Aurelia
Dolores." It establishes a pattern. Without becoming heavy-handed and turning this
melodrama into an issue show, the Mexican roots of Texas and its people are always
present -- often as servants, mind you, but sometimes as love interests and always as
people. Spanish songs appear throughout the show at key moments and Mexican
characters give voice to their dreams. This isn't a modernizing touch: Ferber was a
member of the Algonquin Circle and not an author of bodice-rippers. Her works often
contained a strong focus on racial prejudice and other social issues (notably Show Boat , of
course).
We then launch into Bick's love of the land, "Did Spring Come To Texas?," a tune that
might have come from Oklahoma , musically if not geographically. Brian D'Arcy James has
a quiet strength throughout the show that anchors it perfectly. And he's matched everymoment by Kate Baldwin as Leslie. Their easy intimacy in her father's library just minutesafter meeting makes you believe in love at first sight. Like Rock Hudson and ElizabethTaylor in the film version, they are both stars of the first order. Unlike Hudson, James canreally act and they both sing with ease.
This is a decades-spanning show but it never feels "big" as in a spectacle. Director Michael
Greif keeps a laser focus on these characters. There are rousing moments like a BBQhoedown, a wedding that slides painfully into a funeral, and a wonderfully restrainedfinale but this is not a widescreen epic. You're always leaning into to listen and watch, notblown back by unnecessary fuss.
Greif's rare misstep here in his direction is with Pawk as Luz. She's a fine actress but goes
too far over into hokum in her acting and singing, signaling her disdain for Bick's newwife in such broad terms it feels more like Ma Kettle. She barks out "No Time ForSurprises" and then treats Leslie with such venom, you expect her to twirl a mustache. It'sjust a question of tamping her down, since essentially Pawk is well cast. With this show,less is definitely more.
Similarly, Katie Thompson has a knock-'em-dead show-stopper in Act One with "He
Wanted A Girl," the song where she reveals her pain over losing Bick (the only man she'sever loved and the person both families intended her to marry). Did she have to lose himto this new girl who's afraid of wide open spaces and doesn't know a thing aboutranching? It's a bravura turn she delivers in a marvelous voice, only to spoil the mood justa tad by over-acting in the next moment when talking to Leslie. (Perhaps her emotions gotthe best of her?) Thompson has already completely won us over; she doesn't need to do athing in the scene after that and we'll still ache for her. (She's just as good in her secondact number "Midnight Blues," part of a genuinely wonderful scene where she, Leslie and afriend all share painful secrets that should play as melodrama but feels real to life.)
"Heartbreak Country" is the rare number that doesn't ring quite true; perhaps it's trying to
embody some Texas sentiment? It falls short and feels forced lyrically (though not
musically). But it's soon followed by "Topsy-Turvy," a playful song between Leslie and
Bick when they're in a hotel room trying to do something other than bicker all the time.And "My Texas" ends the act well with a rousing defense of their "country" (Texans ratherannoyingly refer to their state as their country, as Bick makes clear). It doesn't comewithout hints of further darkness -- Bick's son Jordy insists on stammering out the realfacts about the Alamo and Texas (such as the inconvenient truth that the Mexicans were
there first and the whites are the real immigrants).
Up to this point, Giant has been a very well sung, brisk, entertaining show with a fine,
large cast, some great open skies for a vista thanks to the lighting by Kenneth Posner and
effective, judicious sets by Allen Moyer. The hair and wig design by David Brian Brownalong with the costumes by Jeff Mahshie effectively capture the passage of time withyoung people growing older and adults growing old. I'll need to see the show again tofigure out how they do it, but all that pipe-laying in the first act, all that complex storythat Pearson fits in without making the show feel too much like a soap opera bears fruit inthe second act. That's where Giant reaches peaks of genuine greatness.
Like so many of the best moments in the show, the second act begins quietly. Bick is outon the range, commiserating with the memory of his now-dead sister Luz in "I Miss OurMornings." Then he launches into a number that is a companion piece to that Rodgers &Hammerstein classic "Soliloquy." In that song, of course, a young man is about to becomea father and fantasizes about what it will be like to have a son...and then worries about theheavy responsibility of having a girl. In Bick's soliloquy "That Thing," an essentially decentfather struggles with the reality of being a dad, loving his son and yet feeling that theyhave absolutely nothing in common, while reveling in the bond he enjoys with hisdaughter. It's a moving, complex number that James navigates beautifully.
It's immediately followed by another winner, "Jump," a showcase for three younger
characters. Angel (the charming Miguel Cervantes, very good in a very brief role) isgetting married and then going off to fight WW II. Lil Luz (Mackenzie Mauzy) wants herindependence but is drawn to Bobby (devilishly handsome Jon Fletcher), a boy who lovesranching just as much as she. They all sing "Jump, " a delightful winner about taking
chances, with Angel prodding Jordy to ask Juana (the pretty and sweet Natalie Cortez) out
on a date, telling Bobby to let Lil Luz know he likes her too and then maybe they can work
together so Angel can have some alone-time with his intended. It's a charmer rooted in
character thanks to the staging, the singing and the choreography by Alex Sanchez, which
is discretely strong throughout but really gets to shine here.
That's followed by yet another delight: "There Is A Child," a song in which Jordy's
sweetheart Juana expresses her dreams and they innocently flirt. LaChiusa expresses
Juana's acceptance of Jordy and his speech defect by giving Cortez a song that begins with
her remembering English lessons from her sister -- she practiced her "wh's" by saying"who" and "what" and "where" and so on while speaking into her hand to feel the breath.She shows him the technique, a simple gesture that acknowledges she knows what it's liketo struggle to speak. Jordy, shyly dipping his head but also daring to look her in the eye,practices his "wh's" too and breathes on her hand, in an intimate elocution lesson thatechoes the classic My Fair Lady. Steggert is an asset to any show and one of the best
talents in theater today. He captures Jordy's gentle but abashed habit of looking down, hisrefusal to keep quiet even when it's difficult to talk and the passionate heart that will drivehim to fulfill his mother's thwarted dreams of making a difference.
The melodrama kicks in again, but it feels more deserved now. The show barrels along,
with Jett given a rousing barn-burner about the changing times called "The Dog Is GonnaBark." (It's no surprise to read that Griffith fronts a rock band, after seeing hiscommanding performance on this.) Among the many wise decisions of Pearson (who alsodid the book for Baby ) was the choice to not build up the rivalry of Bick and Jett more
than it needs. Jett is still drawn to Leslie and marries a beauty queen look-alike (heck, heeven flirts with Leslie's daughter), but it's detailed quickly and neatly and then life goeson. Throughout, the show manages to capture the tumble and turmoil of the times. Butsince it doesn't pretend to tie up loose ends or follow every sub-plot to their finale, it feelsmore like a slice of life than the daytime serial that was the feature film Giant .
There's still one more remarkable number: it's the scene that we saw at the beginningwhere Bick and Leslie are having it out, discovering if there's anything left worth fightingfor in their marriage. The show ends back where it began with "The Desert," a stunnerperformed to perfection by James and Baldwin (who is luminous and groundedthroughout). They seesaw through emotions, detail their heartbreaks, discuss their dreams
and end on a quiet note of hope as Leslie points out they don't have to agree on
everything, they just have to keep talking. The couple clasps hands and the show is
essentially over.
But there's a coda, with Jordy and Juana sharing a moment of hope; Steggert as always
wins us over with ease and Cortez matches him. Even here, the show doesn't go for arousing, big number that might have felt forced, "all hat and no cattle" as they say. There'sa brief surge in singing on the chorus, but by the end it's just a young married couplefacing the future as their family and friends -- both living and dead -- stand beside them
in a moment of simple solidarity.
Small adjustments in some of the performances and a tightening of Act One (though God
knows it's pretty condensed already) should make what is already one of the best musicalsof the year even better. I think the Tony Award season just got a lot more interesting: thespring musical Matilda has some serious competition if this show transfers as it should.
And Michael John LaChiusa may have found the popular success his talent has augured
for so long.
THE THEATER SEASON 2012-2013 (on a four star scale)
As You Like it (Shakespeare in the Park withLily Rabe) ****
Chimichangas And Zoloft *
Closer Than Ever ***
Cock ** 1/2
Harvey with Jim Parsons *
My Children! My Africa! ***
Once On This Island ***
Potted Potter *
Storefront Church ** 1/2
Title And Deed ***
Picture Incomplete (NYMF) **
Flambe Dreams (NYMF) **
Rio (NYMF) **
The Two Month Rule (NYMF) *
Trouble (NYMF) ** 1/2
Stealing Time (NYMF) **
Requiem For A Lost Girl (NYMF) ** 1/2
Re-Animator The Musical (NYMF) ***
Baby Case (NYMF) ** 1/2
How Deep Is The Ocean (NYMF) ** 1/2
Central Avenue Breakdown (NYMF) ***
Foreverman (NYMF) * 1/2
Swing State (NYMF) * 1/2
Stand Tall: A Rock Musical (NYMF) * 1/2
Living With Henry (NYMF) *
A Letter To Harvey Milk (NYMF) ** 1/2
The Last Smoker In America **
Gore Vidal's The Best Man (w new cast) ***
Into The Woods at Delacorte ** 1/2
Bring It On: The Musical **
Bullet For Adolf *
Summer Shorts Series B: Paul Rudnick, Neil LaBute, etc. **
Harrison, TX ***
Dark Hollow: An Appalachian "Woyzeck" (FringeNYC) * 1/2
Pink Milk (FringeNYC)* 1/2
Who Murdered Love (FringeNYC) no stars
Storytime With Mr. Buttermen (FringeNYC) **
#MormonInChief (FringeNYC) **
An Interrogation Primer (FringeNYC) ***
An Evening With Kirk Douglas (FringeNYC) *
Sheherizade (FringeNYC) **
The Great Pie Robbery (FringeNYC) ** 1/2
Independents (FringeNYC) *** 1/2
The Dick and The Rose (FringeNYC) **
Magdalen (FringeNYC) ***
Bombsheltered (FringeNYC) ** 1/2
Paper Plane (FringeNYC) ** 1/2
Rated M For Murder (FringeNYC) ** 1/2
Mallory/Valerie (FringeNYC) *
Non-Equity: The Musical! (FringeNYC) *
Blanche: The Bittersweet Life Of A Prairie Dame (FringeNYC) *** 1/2
City Of Shadows (FringeNYC) ***
Forbidden Broadway: Alive & Kicking ***
Salamander Starts Over (FringeNYC) ***
Pieces (FringeNYC) *
The Train Driver ***
Chaplin The Musical * 1/2
Detroit ** 1/2
Heartless at Signature **
Einstein On The Beach at BAM ****
Red-Handed Otter ** 1/2
Marry Me A Little **
An Enemy Of The People ** 1/2
The Old Man And The Old Moon *** 1/2
A Chorus Line at Papermill ***
Helen & Edgar ***
Grace * 1/2
Cyrano de Bergerac **
Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? ***
Disgraced **
Annie ** 1/2
The Heiress **
Checkers ** 1/2
Ivanov ***
Golden Child at Signature ** 1/2
Giant at the Public *** 1/2
Scandalous * 1/2
Forever Dusty **
The Performers **
The Piano Lesson at Signature *** 1/2
Un Ballo In Maschera at the Met *** 1/2 (singing) * (production) so call it ** 1/2
A Christmas Story: The Musical **
The Sound Of Music at Papermill ***
My Name Is Asher Lev *** 1/2
Golden Boy **
A Civil War Christmas ** 1/2
Dead Accounts **
The Anarchist *
Glengarry Glen Ross **
Bare **
The Mystery Of Edwin Drood ** 1/2
The Great God Pan ** 1/2
Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox , a weekly pop
culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and
features top journalists and opinion makers as guests. It's available for free on iTunes.
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Ambitions...And Scores
GIANT *** 1/2 out of ****
PUBLIC THEATER, NYC
It's your choice: try and grab a ticket now while this show is at the Public or you'll be
buying a ticket to see it on Broadway. Don't worry if you can't snag a seat during its verylimited run (which I assume will be extending at least a little). Giant is a wonderfully
intimate and complex show, but it will fill up a Broadway stage with ease.
You know the story from the novel by Edna Ferber or the somewhat leaden film best
known for containing James Dean's final performance. Giant tells the story of Texas and it
tells the story of Bick Benedict which amounts to the same thing. Spanning almost thirtyyears, the show begins like the novel, with Bick and his wife Leslie (Kate Baldwin) havingit out late in their marriage and then jumps back in time to show where it all began.
Bick is a rancher, burning with a passion to breed cattle and feed the world, working side
by side with his tough as leather sister Lux (Michele Pawk). Imagine her shock when Bickis sidetracked from marrying the girl next door (mind you, "next door" is 80 miles away)and comes home from a trip with a new thoroughbred horse and a new bride. Then thesoap opera really begins: ranch hand Jett Rink (PJ Griffith in the James Dean role)
develops a hankering for Leslie and an even bigger hankering for money when he strikes
oil on what was thought to be a worthless scrap of land.
Soon a dark stain is seeping in everywhere: Leslie feels the town (essentially owned by
Bick) features shabby homes for their workers. She tries to befriend the Mexicans, learn
Spanish and open Bick's heart to injustice all at the same time. He just wants to rope and
ride the range and be a rancher. In the nimble book by Sybille Pearson, we speed alonguntil their two children are young adults with daughter Lil Lux (Mackenzie Mauzy) clearlyin love with the ranch while the stammering, bookish son Jordy (Bobby Steggert) has hismother's social conscience -- the fact that dating a Mexican girl is an act of rebellion is justicing on the cake.
April 29, 2014
This is the print preview:
Back to normal view »
Posted: 11/16/2012 1:17 am
On and on the story tumbles, but that's the bare bones plot. This is a musical with songs
and score by Michael John LaChiusa and it's his most tuneful work since The Wild Party
(that woefully unappreciated show that will be a hit when it's revived some day soon).
Without sacrificing any of the sophistication he has always been capable of and wisely
without trying to incorporate a heavy Texas twang, LaChiusa delivers a collection of songsthat are both direct and very ambitious.
The show begins quietly and the first song is in Spanish, a charmer called "Aurelia
Dolores." It establishes a pattern. Without becoming heavy-handed and turning this
melodrama into an issue show, the Mexican roots of Texas and its people are always
present -- often as servants, mind you, but sometimes as love interests and always as
people. Spanish songs appear throughout the show at key moments and Mexican
characters give voice to their dreams. This isn't a modernizing touch: Ferber was a
member of the Algonquin Circle and not an author of bodice-rippers. Her works often
contained a strong focus on racial prejudice and other social issues (notably Show Boat , of
course).
We then launch into Bick's love of the land, "Did Spring Come To Texas?," a tune that
might have come from Oklahoma , musically if not geographically. Brian D'Arcy James has
a quiet strength throughout the show that anchors it perfectly. And he's matched everymoment by Kate Baldwin as Leslie. Their easy intimacy in her father's library just minutesafter meeting makes you believe in love at first sight. Like Rock Hudson and ElizabethTaylor in the film version, they are both stars of the first order. Unlike Hudson, James canreally act and they both sing with ease.
This is a decades-spanning show but it never feels "big" as in a spectacle. Director Michael
Greif keeps a laser focus on these characters. There are rousing moments like a BBQhoedown, a wedding that slides painfully into a funeral, and a wonderfully restrainedfinale but this is not a widescreen epic. You're always leaning into to listen and watch, notblown back by unnecessary fuss.
Greif's rare misstep here in his direction is with Pawk as Luz. She's a fine actress but goes
too far over into hokum in her acting and singing, signaling her disdain for Bick's newwife in such broad terms it feels more like Ma Kettle. She barks out "No Time ForSurprises" and then treats Leslie with such venom, you expect her to twirl a mustache. It'sjust a question of tamping her down, since essentially Pawk is well cast. With this show,less is definitely more.
Similarly, Katie Thompson has a knock-'em-dead show-stopper in Act One with "He
Wanted A Girl," the song where she reveals her pain over losing Bick (the only man she'sever loved and the person both families intended her to marry). Did she have to lose himto this new girl who's afraid of wide open spaces and doesn't know a thing aboutranching? It's a bravura turn she delivers in a marvelous voice, only to spoil the mood justa tad by over-acting in the next moment when talking to Leslie. (Perhaps her emotions gotthe best of her?) Thompson has already completely won us over; she doesn't need to do athing in the scene after that and we'll still ache for her. (She's just as good in her secondact number "Midnight Blues," part of a genuinely wonderful scene where she, Leslie and afriend all share painful secrets that should play as melodrama but feels real to life.)
"Heartbreak Country" is the rare number that doesn't ring quite true; perhaps it's trying to
embody some Texas sentiment? It falls short and feels forced lyrically (though not
musically). But it's soon followed by "Topsy-Turvy," a playful song between Leslie and
Bick when they're in a hotel room trying to do something other than bicker all the time.And "My Texas" ends the act well with a rousing defense of their "country" (Texans ratherannoyingly refer to their state as their country, as Bick makes clear). It doesn't comewithout hints of further darkness -- Bick's son Jordy insists on stammering out the realfacts about the Alamo and Texas (such as the inconvenient truth that the Mexicans were
there first and the whites are the real immigrants).
Up to this point, Giant has been a very well sung, brisk, entertaining show with a fine,
large cast, some great open skies for a vista thanks to the lighting by Kenneth Posner and
effective, judicious sets by Allen Moyer. The hair and wig design by David Brian Brownalong with the costumes by Jeff Mahshie effectively capture the passage of time withyoung people growing older and adults growing old. I'll need to see the show again tofigure out how they do it, but all that pipe-laying in the first act, all that complex storythat Pearson fits in without making the show feel too much like a soap opera bears fruit inthe second act. That's where Giant reaches peaks of genuine greatness.
Like so many of the best moments in the show, the second act begins quietly. Bick is outon the range, commiserating with the memory of his now-dead sister Luz in "I Miss OurMornings." Then he launches into a number that is a companion piece to that Rodgers &Hammerstein classic "Soliloquy." In that song, of course, a young man is about to becomea father and fantasizes about what it will be like to have a son...and then worries about theheavy responsibility of having a girl. In Bick's soliloquy "That Thing," an essentially decentfather struggles with the reality of being a dad, loving his son and yet feeling that theyhave absolutely nothing in common, while reveling in the bond he enjoys with hisdaughter. It's a moving, complex number that James navigates beautifully.
It's immediately followed by another winner, "Jump," a showcase for three younger
characters. Angel (the charming Miguel Cervantes, very good in a very brief role) isgetting married and then going off to fight WW II. Lil Luz (Mackenzie Mauzy) wants herindependence but is drawn to Bobby (devilishly handsome Jon Fletcher), a boy who lovesranching just as much as she. They all sing "Jump, " a delightful winner about taking
chances, with Angel prodding Jordy to ask Juana (the pretty and sweet Natalie Cortez) out
on a date, telling Bobby to let Lil Luz know he likes her too and then maybe they can work
together so Angel can have some alone-time with his intended. It's a charmer rooted in
character thanks to the staging, the singing and the choreography by Alex Sanchez, which
is discretely strong throughout but really gets to shine here.
That's followed by yet another delight: "There Is A Child," a song in which Jordy's
sweetheart Juana expresses her dreams and they innocently flirt. LaChiusa expresses
Juana's acceptance of Jordy and his speech defect by giving Cortez a song that begins with
her remembering English lessons from her sister -- she practiced her "wh's" by saying"who" and "what" and "where" and so on while speaking into her hand to feel the breath.She shows him the technique, a simple gesture that acknowledges she knows what it's liketo struggle to speak. Jordy, shyly dipping his head but also daring to look her in the eye,practices his "wh's" too and breathes on her hand, in an intimate elocution lesson thatechoes the classic My Fair Lady. Steggert is an asset to any show and one of the best
talents in theater today. He captures Jordy's gentle but abashed habit of looking down, hisrefusal to keep quiet even when it's difficult to talk and the passionate heart that will drivehim to fulfill his mother's thwarted dreams of making a difference.
The melodrama kicks in again, but it feels more deserved now. The show barrels along,
with Jett given a rousing barn-burner about the changing times called "The Dog Is GonnaBark." (It's no surprise to read that Griffith fronts a rock band, after seeing hiscommanding performance on this.) Among the many wise decisions of Pearson (who alsodid the book for Baby ) was the choice to not build up the rivalry of Bick and Jett more
than it needs. Jett is still drawn to Leslie and marries a beauty queen look-alike (heck, heeven flirts with Leslie's daughter), but it's detailed quickly and neatly and then life goeson. Throughout, the show manages to capture the tumble and turmoil of the times. Butsince it doesn't pretend to tie up loose ends or follow every sub-plot to their finale, it feelsmore like a slice of life than the daytime serial that was the feature film Giant .
There's still one more remarkable number: it's the scene that we saw at the beginningwhere Bick and Leslie are having it out, discovering if there's anything left worth fightingfor in their marriage. The show ends back where it began with "The Desert," a stunnerperformed to perfection by James and Baldwin (who is luminous and groundedthroughout). They seesaw through emotions, detail their heartbreaks, discuss their dreams
and end on a quiet note of hope as Leslie points out they don't have to agree on
everything, they just have to keep talking. The couple clasps hands and the show is
essentially over.
But there's a coda, with Jordy and Juana sharing a moment of hope; Steggert as always
wins us over with ease and Cortez matches him. Even here, the show doesn't go for arousing, big number that might have felt forced, "all hat and no cattle" as they say. There'sa brief surge in singing on the chorus, but by the end it's just a young married couplefacing the future as their family and friends -- both living and dead -- stand beside them
in a moment of simple solidarity.
Small adjustments in some of the performances and a tightening of Act One (though God
knows it's pretty condensed already) should make what is already one of the best musicalsof the year even better. I think the Tony Award season just got a lot more interesting: thespring musical Matilda has some serious competition if this show transfers as it should.
And Michael John LaChiusa may have found the popular success his talent has augured
for so long.
THE THEATER SEASON 2012-2013 (on a four star scale)
As You Like it (Shakespeare in the Park withLily Rabe) ****
Chimichangas And Zoloft *
Closer Than Ever ***
Cock ** 1/2
Harvey with Jim Parsons *
My Children! My Africa! ***
Once On This Island ***
Potted Potter *
Storefront Church ** 1/2
Title And Deed ***
Picture Incomplete (NYMF) **
Flambe Dreams (NYMF) **
Rio (NYMF) **
The Two Month Rule (NYMF) *
Trouble (NYMF) ** 1/2
Stealing Time (NYMF) **
Requiem For A Lost Girl (NYMF) ** 1/2
Re-Animator The Musical (NYMF) ***
Baby Case (NYMF) ** 1/2
How Deep Is The Ocean (NYMF) ** 1/2
Central Avenue Breakdown (NYMF) ***
Foreverman (NYMF) * 1/2
Swing State (NYMF) * 1/2
Stand Tall: A Rock Musical (NYMF) * 1/2
Living With Henry (NYMF) *
A Letter To Harvey Milk (NYMF) ** 1/2
The Last Smoker In America **
Gore Vidal's The Best Man (w new cast) ***
Into The Woods at Delacorte ** 1/2
Bring It On: The Musical **
Bullet For Adolf *
Summer Shorts Series B: Paul Rudnick, Neil LaBute, etc. **
Harrison, TX ***
Dark Hollow: An Appalachian "Woyzeck" (FringeNYC) * 1/2
Pink Milk (FringeNYC)* 1/2
Who Murdered Love (FringeNYC) no stars
Storytime With Mr. Buttermen (FringeNYC) **
#MormonInChief (FringeNYC) **
An Interrogation Primer (FringeNYC) ***
An Evening With Kirk Douglas (FringeNYC) *
Sheherizade (FringeNYC) **
The Great Pie Robbery (FringeNYC) ** 1/2
Independents (FringeNYC) *** 1/2
The Dick and The Rose (FringeNYC) **
Magdalen (FringeNYC) ***
Bombsheltered (FringeNYC) ** 1/2
Paper Plane (FringeNYC) ** 1/2
Rated M For Murder (FringeNYC) ** 1/2
Mallory/Valerie (FringeNYC) *
Non-Equity: The Musical! (FringeNYC) *
Blanche: The Bittersweet Life Of A Prairie Dame (FringeNYC) *** 1/2
City Of Shadows (FringeNYC) ***
Forbidden Broadway: Alive & Kicking ***
Salamander Starts Over (FringeNYC) ***
Pieces (FringeNYC) *
The Train Driver ***
Chaplin The Musical * 1/2
Detroit ** 1/2
Heartless at Signature **
Einstein On The Beach at BAM ****
Red-Handed Otter ** 1/2
Marry Me A Little **
An Enemy Of The People ** 1/2
The Old Man And The Old Moon *** 1/2
A Chorus Line at Papermill ***
Helen & Edgar ***
Grace * 1/2
Cyrano de Bergerac **
Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? ***
Disgraced **
Annie ** 1/2
The Heiress **
Checkers ** 1/2
Ivanov ***
Golden Child at Signature ** 1/2
Giant at the Public *** 1/2
Scandalous * 1/2
Forever Dusty **
The Performers **
The Piano Lesson at Signature *** 1/2
Un Ballo In Maschera at the Met *** 1/2 (singing) * (production) so call it ** 1/2
A Christmas Story: The Musical **
The Sound Of Music at Papermill ***
My Name Is Asher Lev *** 1/2
Golden Boy **
A Civil War Christmas ** 1/2
Dead Accounts **
The Anarchist *
Glengarry Glen Ross **
Bare **
The Mystery Of Edwin Drood ** 1/2
The Great God Pan ** 1/2
Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox , a weekly pop
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