A lot has been going on in the last few months in the theater. Instead of writing separate posts, I share my random thoughts below:
I think we've all gotten too 
used to actors doing less than eight performances a week. And we're also all too accepting of my least favorite trend -- the whole "s/he'll only do 6 performances a week but we won't tell you which" phenomenon. That is not fair to the ticket buyers. Fine for producers, not fair to audience members. So I want to give a shout-out to Ana Villafañe, Broadway's Gloria Estefan. Like Beautiful's Carole King, Chilina Kennedy (or Tony winner Jessie Mueller before her), this On Your Feet! star is carrying a show and performing all eight performances. On Your Feet! is yet to open, so I won't talk substantively about it (I know better than to cross spokesperson Leslie Papa), but I think I can legitimately divulge that Villafañe has a lot to do. She sings and dances a ton and -- other than when she is sick or during scheduled vacations -- every audience member will see her.
Speaking of unspecified schedules, you can't choose which title star to see in Matilda. But I love it regardless. Now is a great time to go to the Shubert if you've never seen the show, or if you want to see the new cast. It has a high running cost and so it needs your support more than some other shows. Go. It is the smartest family-friendly show you can take your kids to. It has some unbelievable stage craft. I want it to survive.
A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder, another clever tuner, is leaving us. This show was a deserving Tony winner. You should also catch it before it closes on January 17, 2016.
I like smart shows generally, but like most semi-sane people, I don't like bad theater-going experiences. There are times when I like a show, but hate the related experience, because someone is eating loudly or there is a miserable smell or something else. Every director loves a theater that can transform. But there are some theaters that perhaps shouldn't be transformed. The Atlantic Theater Company's recently-shuttered production of Cloud Nine was highly acclaimed, and for good reason. However the reviews were missing some key facts, specifically that the seating installed for the in-the-round concept was ridiculously uncomfortable and the seating/lighting somehow contributed to the theater being 95 degrees. I've been to many, many shows at the Atlantic -- I'm a fan -- and I've never been that hot there. I went a few weeks ago and, at intermission, one of the house staff told me two people had fainted that week. During the performance I attended, people walked out sweating, even though that involved walking passed actors. One woman seemed to black out, leading to her family crowding around her, blocking my view and also causing the actors to squeeze around them. (The show must go on, after all.) My friend went a week later and reported a similar incident. A disclaimer on the Atlantic site mentioned the stadium bleachers and that "some of our audience members have found them less comfortable than our usual theater seats." No one said: "Dress in layers." Not any critic I read, not the site. Also, while I love the play and thought the production was wonderful, not everyone is a Caryl Churchill fan. One negative of in-the-round seating is you can often see audience members across from you, particularly in intimate spaces with bright lights. I watched a lot of people sleep during Cloud Nine and some others check their phone. Now maybe the production wouldn't have been as good as it was if it wasn't set up the way it was. I can't say it was necessarily a bad choice. It all added up to a less than ideal overall theatergoing experience however.
I would have maybe been happier if they had provided good food (to eat only at intermission, not during the show, of course). I heard at intermission of Waitress at the American Repertory Theater they offered mini-pies. I'm happy the show is coming in, and I've also been pleased by the "singles" from the show. For those of you who don't know, singer/songwriter Sara Bareilles, who wrote the music and lyrics for the show, is releasing the recording Songs From Waitress this week. Because of that, we've been treated with a new single every couple of weeks. The first, "She Used To Be Mine," is a lovely song, which is getting a good amount of radio play. The others really focus on the characters and I'm looking forward to seeing them staged.
Waitress is of course not the only thing opening in the second half of the season -- there are many plays and musicals. I'm psyched two fall off-Broadway offerings, Eclipsed (which I haven't seen) and The Humans (which I really liked), are transferring to larger stages. And I'm also particularly excited to see Blackbird again, after first seeing it at Manhattan Theatre Club in 2007. When it was first announced, like many, my immediate thought I had was: "This is what Sienna Miller must have been talking about." Previously I had no idea. Now, I really like the art with stars Jeff Daniels and Michelle Williams. I am curious to see how it plays with an older female lead. I am also curious to see how the Tony Awards Administration Committee handles the play. Is it enough of a "classic" to be a revival? It may be the committee's biggest challenge to date, really testing the limits of what it means to be in the "popular repertoire." Unlike Sylvia, it hasn't been done by regional theaters everywhere. Dividing the Estate and The American Plan were both deemed new plays in 2009, but I don't think either of them had as many worldwide productions as Blackbird. (Though Dividing the Estate was older!) Blackbird has had well over 50 productions worldwide. So what is it? New play or revival? Stay tuned.
Top photo of Ana Villafañe in On Your Feet! by Matthew Murphy. Bottom photo part of the poster art for Blackbird.