Succession (2018-23)

For quite a long stretch of time during the golden age of TV, Succession was the best show on air.  From the beginning, it spoke to our nightmare times. The Roy family was most closely modeled on the Murdochs but there is something undoubtedly Trumpian about it all, isn't there? It's so painfully realistic, it's terrifying at times. Succession was the perfect balance of comedy and (Shakespearean) tragedy. And it wasn't just clever writing. It was the comedic performances and the hilarious cameraman controlling the zoom lens. There are so many iconic moments that have entered the culture. I'm talking "L to the OG", boar on the floor, two safe rooms, crack some greggs to make a Tomelette, etc. Really any scene with Cousin Greg. 

The final season was announced ahead of the season premiere. Succession ran a tight four seasons, left us wanting more, rather than overstaying its welcome. There was a clear series arc that the showrunner Jesse Armstrong had clearly thought out.  And it took a bold swing in Season 4 Episode 3 that paid dividends. The final 3 episodes were excellent. I feel like they really stuck the landing. The final season leans more tragedy ("You are not serious people") than comedy, but it has its moments, like "it's not that lemony" and Connor arguing with Roman about ambassadorships. 

And how about that opening song by Nicholas Britell!

Camelot (2023) (Broadway)

Camelot has some issues with the book, in that there's too much book and not enough songs. All the songs are nice and pretty but there aren't that many of them and they don't really advance the plot. They sing about the weather (Camelot) and months (The Lusty Month of May) and seasons (If Ever I Should Leave You), which is weather and months combined. Also they cut Follow Me, and the whole character of Nimue. It could use more ensemble numbers. The end of Act I and the beginning of Act II need songs. Philippa Soo is excellent as Guenevere (totally robbed by the Tonys committee). Her voice is so crisp and pure. Just too much talking scenes. Jordan Donica is good too but not as extraordinary as he was in My Fair Lady though he rightfully is Tony nominated. I think If Ever I Should Leave You isn't as perfect for his voice as On the Street Where You Live. We unfortunately didn't see Andrew Burnap as Arthur, but his understudy was pretty good. I know it's mostly straight acting but Arthur has a couple songs and the understudy probably had more musicality anyways considering Burnap has never done a musical. The set and costumes are wonderful. It feels like you're really transported to Camelot. They make use of projections on the back wall and on the cathedral-shaped eaves.  

Plot wise I could see why Aaron Sorkin wanted to do this. It's about a benevolent leader trying to create his idealized world where people are good. And everyone wants him to fail. Everyone doubts him, and they ultimately bring about his downfall because they can't accept the goodness of people. That's how Arthur loses his war against human nature. Is it foolhardy? Or righteous? Act 2 is much darker as Camelot crumbles from the inside. Act 2 introduces critical new characters that I did not care for: Mordred and Morgan Le Fay (a scientist and Mordred's scorned mother in this production who tells Arthur it can't last). The changes are not all sensible as they're often arguing about nothing.

I think you also can't talk about Camelot without mentioning Jackie Kennedy. She may have made it all up. I, for one, kind of find it hard to believe that JFK liked to listen to the soundtrack. It's a nice story. For one brief shining moment, there was this ideal society. Reality of course is that JFK never achieved that. And if anyone really believed he would they were kidding themselves--maybe I'm the cynical knights. Maybe she was trying to say something about adulterers being burned at the stake.

Guys and Dolls (West End)

Guys and Dolls might just be the most fun I've had at the theater ever. It genuinely put a smile on my face. Despite standing for 3 hours, after spending the whole day walking around the British Museum. Staged in the round, the standing floor audience is literally in the thick of the action. They're the best seats in the house for just 39 quid. The stage is made up of several rising platforms that the audience is encouraged to encircle by several stagehands with the toughest job in the room, managing a moving stage and shepherding the audience. The cast also interacts with the audience and stands among them. In the Havana scene, they're encouraged to dance along and create a party atmosphere. Sky Masterson threw a sweaty towel in my direction, and right on cue, we shimmied out of the way. Even closer than if you were sitting in the front row, we're literally up at the edge of the stage looking up at the action. Big Julie is very tall. There's nothing necessarily about the play that calls for immersive staging but it creates an exciting atmosphere. It's a kinetic production with wonderful staging.

The actor Andrew Richardson plays Sky Masterson, the Marlon Brando part, in what I could only describe as a Bobby Cannavale-esque way.  He's really good. Celinde Schoenmaker plays Sarah, a role I could see Jessie Mueller in. The actor I'd really call out though is Cedric Neal who plays Nicely Nicely. He absolutely kills it in the showstopper "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat". I unfortunately chose to move to the opposite end of the stage for Act II, which was the back of the scene. He puts it all out there, belting and stomping. The audience gave them 3 encores to repeat the chorus, even the music director and band took a bow. It literally stopped the show. Not to mention that Neal performs with a doo-wop group in the intermission in what is probably the second best scene. After the final bows, there's a literal dance party with the cast and audience together to disco versions of the soundtrack. I would've stuck around if we didn't have to rush to a late dinner.

Witness for the Prosecution (West End)

I had seen the Marlene Dietrich movie adaptation of the Agatha Christie play, and I remembered that there was a twist though I didn't fully remember what the twist was. Agatha Christie is very popular on the West End, The Mousetrap still going strong, and actually coming to Broadway. But I chose this one instead for its innovative staging in London County Hall. London is full of formerly government buildings that retain their beautiful architecture and find new life as theaters or hotels or condos, etc. But what a great idea to stage a courtroom drama in the gorgeous chamber. We bought the cheapest full view seats, and while they're technically full view if you sit forward and to the side, in any comfortable position the huge structural column obstructs the view of the bench and jury box. The jurors are actually audience members who paid a premium. And they are furiously taking notes on something throughout the performance. And one of them was designated foreman and announced the not guilty verdict. They have lines! Center stage is the defendant's box. And the defendant is mostly silent save for the occasional outburst. Up in the gallery though, there was an actress who yelled out right next to us. At the end of the play, when the twist is revealed, the audience was audibly shocked. There was actually so much audience awe that people were getting shushed. And it is a damn good twist.

 

We Own This City (2022)

We Own This City has been described as a spiritual sequel to The Wire, which ran from 2002-2008. David Simon is the great chronicler of the American city. Simon and George Pelecanos return to Baltimore to follow up on the state of the police and the effect the killing of Freddie Gray. had on our beloved city. It's a damning critique of the Baltimore Police Department as an institution and the War on Drugs that bred it. It may come off as preachy at times, but that's because they're willing to speak the hard truths that no one else will. And yes, sometimes they need to be said out loud. It manages to be both aggravating and absolutely devastating. It makes you feel defeated, that the problems we face in this country are just so insurmountable under the weight of our broken and corrupt institutions.

Jon Bernthal gives a career best performance as Wayne Jenkins. There's something about him that just screams dirty cop. He has the brashness and charisma and bro-eyness. It's spot on casting. And his bawlmer accent is excellent. The time jumping is a little confusing, but it allows all the angles to unfold at once: the police, the FBI investigation and the DOJ consent decree. We see the police stops happen in flashback, and then relive them as the FBI investigates them, and then again as the DOJ gathers evidence for its own work. You can't look away; the miniseries is transfixing.

The Wife of Willesden (2023)

The Wife of Willesden is being staged at BAM Strong in collaboration with American Repertory Theater. It runs just an hour and forty minutes but it feels very long. That's because the prologue runs about an hour itself. And the prologue is almost straight monologue masquerading as open mic. Clare Perkins plays the titular wife with gusto but she can only do so much with what amounts to a rather boring play. It's all very one-note. I fell asleep in the second act. And I think it's not as shocking as it intends to be. It's 2023 after all. It's very frank. And it chastises the audience for slut shaming but who's saying anything? The best part is the sumptuous set, an upscale North London pub spanning the length of the entire stage and even spilling over to the audience who sits at tables, joining the action. I'm not entirely sure why Zadie Smith puts herself in the play. It creates a meta storytelling device, but it's unnecessary and there's a weird apology from Smith over her ability.

White Girl in Danger (Off-Broadway) (2023)

I've never had this experience before but we got free tickets from Culture Pass and got "General Admission" tickets". What that meant was that we got whatever empty seats were left right before curtain. Somehow there are empty seats, at what I think is an otherwise sold out performance. But here's the tricky part, if the ticketholder with your seat shows up, then they can kick you out at intermission, at which point you'll get "refunded". But that means this person who showed up late has to wait an hour and a half for intermission--who's going to wait that long? Anyways, we're lucky we got seats in the front row and got to stay the whole show. 

Michael R Jackson's new musical is a lot. It's a satire on classic white people soap operas. It's imaginatively about a "blackground" character trying to make it in an "all-white" show--Jackson sticks with the meta concept. It was over 3 hours. The first act, a full hour and 40 minutes. And the 15 minute intermission also has content playing on the projector. And there's content playing before curtain. They film these hilarious cheesy, bad green screen, commercials. It felt like watching Atlanta spoof public access TV. He also kind of leans into the Tyler Perry-esque mannerisms that he berates in A Strange Loop (Atlanta does it too). But it's really long. Especially compared to the tight A Strange Loop. They probably need to cut a full half hour at least. It's funny but it kind of rambles. The songs are pretty hit or miss--the highlight is the opening title song. A few of them kind of lack melody. They're not really Sondheim-esque but y'know they also don't have a hummable tune. It's also very profane. A Strange Loop was too, but I feel like this was even more extreme. The gay sex scene in this one is a lesbian sex scene and there are multiple sex toy props. Definitely not family friendly. 

Tarra Conner Jones steals the show as Nell. This is her Off Broadway debut. She literally has a showstopper. There was a standing ovation for her in the middle of the show for her big number. Those are always cool moments.