Ripley (2024)

The Steven Zaillian miniseries adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley is stunning. Shot in crisp black and white, it looks unlike anything else Netflix has ever made. Cinematography Robert Elswit deserves his Emmy for this. He has an Oscar for There Will Be Blood, and was nominated for another black-and-white project Good Night, and Good Luck. Zaillian also won an Emmy for directing. He does an incredible job at building suspense. The interesting shots and the mise-en-scene say so much without words. And the production design (and location scouting) is phenomenal. From episode 1 in 1960s New York to Roma and Atrani and Napoli and Palermo and Venezia, we are completely transported.  Those palazzi are to die for. The old American Express travel offices take you to a past when international travel was limited to the wealthy--who knew all the random services they used to offer!

I like the Anthony Minghella adaptation, but this is arguably better, perhaps with the lone exception of Dickie and Marge. I don't think Johnny Flynn nor Dakota Fanning are very compelling. They don't ooze the pretty boy allure of Jude Law. Andrew Scott makes the Ripley character his own. His Italian is very passable. I watched the first 6 episodes without subtitles, not realizing that there should've been subtitles. I thought I was supposed to be in Ripley's head not understanding the language, but as his Italian got a lot better, the subtitles still weren't appearing. I actually understood probably 75% of the Italian anyways; I at least got the gist of it. It wasn't until episode 6, which is almost entirely in Italian, that started to get more complex for my skill level. The real standout for me is Maurizio Lombardi, who plays Inspector Ravini. His Italian-accented English is so good. And his Italian is spoken so clearly, I could follow everything he was saying.

I think this version sort of de-emphasizes the themes of homosexuality and class and race. And I don't mind that. This is just a totally different standalone adaptation. It's slow, dragging out for 8 episodes whereas the movie runs just over 2 hours. It luxuriates in its slowness, building suspense and allowing all the consequences to unfold. It's funny at times, though subtle. And though it went over my head a little at first, I liked the Caravaggio analogy. His signature chiaroscuro is a clear inspiration for the look of the show. 

The Marriage of Figaro (Opera)

Anthony Roth Costanzo is a force of nature. He might be the biggest name in opera right now, surely the most famous countertenor.  The Little Island amphitheater is a perfect venue for him to experiment a little. It was my first time seeing a performance there, and I like that there is a cool outdoor space for avant garde work. Costanzo sings all the parts in this abridged Figaro; his tenor as powerful as his soprano. That doesn't mean he's the only person on stage. There are a handful of actors who mime and lip-sync but you can always see Costanzo somewhere on stage belting out the lyrics. Sometimes he's standing or sitting or lying or hiding--it's really impressive in every respect. And it is downright hilarious. Aside from it being a comedic, albeit confusing, opera, there is abundant physical comedy. I found myself, along with the rest of the crowd, actually laughing out loud...at the opera! There is a small 9-piece orchestra, with an interesting orchestration featuring instruments like guitar and saxophone that surely didn't exist in Mozart's time. There's even a circus element to the show. One of the actors is a circus guy, jumping up and down on a trampoline. There is a comedic interlude, allowing Costanzo a short break while the actors give us a ridiculous synopsis and recite the original French source material for the libretto. This show truly has everything.

Next to Normal (Regional) (2024)

I was not familiar with Next to Normal. I'm pretty well-versed in musical theater but this one had sort of slipped my attention. But it's one of those that's a big fan favorite of real theater nerds. We did come all the way out to the Berkshires because Aglaia is a fan. And the guy sitting in front of me (who might have gotten the tickets through work, since his co-worker also came but separately) feels similarly to Aglaia about the play. It's emotionally very powerful, quite a downer of a show. It deals with very heavy topics of mental health. And frankly, I don't see the appeal of the music, not very memorable melodies to me. And I kind of dozed off in the first act. The second act is stronger on the whole. But the big reveal in Act I is revelatory. It makes you rethink everything you've seen before, all the blocking, the dialogue, the acting choices.  That's really well done. The set is fairly simple with two levels. The second level is notable for the circular sliding door, with a step that I thought for sure someone would trip over. The production also uses projections on the white wall of live footage of the characters we're seeing on stage. The theater is small enough that you don't exactly need the magnification. If anything, I thought the projections were kind of distracting. The actors in this regional production at the Barrington Stage Company are all great, especially Natalie Joy Johnson in the lead role of Diana. And Joseph Morales who plays Dr Madden kind of reminded me of my own therapist; something about the way he dresses and talks.

Cats: The Jellicle Ball (2024) (Off-Broadway)

The cherry on top of the inaugural season at PAC NYC, Cats: The Jellicle Ball may just be the gayest thing I've ever seen. I mean that in the best way. It's a fun time, honestly to the credit of the audience. The audience was very into it, cheering and hollering and dancing along. There was the guy to my left kneeling on his high stool at the cabaret table, yelling "Bitch!" at every cat to strut down the runway.  There were no fewer than 2 standing ovations in the middle of the show, including a showstopping Memory. And the curtain call was a wonderfully energetic party. There is a lot of crowd interaction at the cabaret tables; I gladly sat a little further back in the orchestra. The stage is a catwalk, with seating on either side as at a fashion show, and then cabaret seating around the front part of the stage. All good seats with unique perspectives on the show.

On it's face, it's not an obvious combination, the camp of Cats and the Ballroom culture of New York in the 80s. But there's a message in there about belonging, and embracing being yourself, and finding your community. There isn't exactly a plot to Cats, not a sensible one anyways. And that sort of lends itself to Ballroom competitions, running category by category, introducing new cats who aren't necessarily dressed as cats but as whatever extravagant outfit suits them. Junior LaBeija from Paris is Burning plays Gus as the emcee. He is fantastic, co-leading with Andre DeShields, a cast that comes half from the theater world and half from Ball culture.

Despite all the excitement, I did doze off a little in the first act, because again there is no plot. There is a little bit of plot in the second act with Old Deuteronomy taking the fall for the stunting (robbery) Macavity is responsible for. Andre DeShields plays the wizened regal old cat, with a fabulous wig and a luxuriously slow gait. Magical Mr Mistoffelees brings Old Deuteronomy back. And finally the old washed up queen Grizabella, a former champion carrying around her old trophy, who gets no respect from the new cats who don't know their history about those that came before them, belts out Memory and becomes The Jellicle Choice, whatever the heck that means. She either dies or attains enlightenment in cat heaven or god knows. Cats as a show is still nonsense but this is stylish nonsense that somehow manages to be as life-giving as The Jellicle Choice and ballroom itself.

The Great Gatsby (Broadway) (2024)

We chose to see The Great Gatsby for Eva Noblezada, who I saw absolutely kill it in Hadestown. Unfortunately, Noblezada (along with 4 others) was out yesterday. Her understudy Traci Elaine Lee was pretty good anyhow, but it's just our typical luck. Jeremy Jordan plays the enigmatic Gatsby and he's fine; the songs suit his voice. The songs are mostly forgettable though. They sound like pop showtunes, a bit too much belting. They missed an opportunity to lean more into jazz for the period. The songs don't really advance the plot at all. And I feel like there was more plot in the book I've forgotten. The best part of the production is the design. The set is incredibly ornate. And the projections are so lifelike; they move and they appear indistinguishable from the physical set so as to appear in three dimensions. The jazz age costumes are also fantastic.   

Hell's Kitchen (Broadway) (2024)

Alicia Keys is a big star with an extensive back catalog. I'm not familiar with all of her songs, but I'm a little more familiar since going to her concert last year. And you could kind of expect that a plot contrived off of existing songs would be corny. Corny writing in contemporary Broadway musicals is not so uncommon though. I could look past it because Maleah Joi Moon has enough charisma to project her New York attitude all the way up to the balcony. Kecia Lewis, as her piano teacher, and Shoshana Bean as her mother, also have ample opportunities to belt it out. Keys chose some lesser known numbers that nonetheless have a bit of Broadway flair. And other songs are re-contextualized, given new life through  different rhythms and harmonies, most notably Fallin'. We got an understudy for Davis, who gets some of the most recognizable songs, but the understudy Desmond Sean Ellington was quite good too. They all manage to channel Alicia Keys in their own unique ways. They're all fantastic, with a special shout out to Kecia Lewis. I appreciated that the audience was really into it, responding well to the jokes and high notes and emotional moments. Always more fun to experience with an audience enjoying themselves. It is fun, I give you that. Plot is a little thin but there's enough there for a satisfying coming-of-age mother-daughter story.

Titanic (Encores!) (2024)

No, it's not Celine Dion but the music in this Titanic by Maury Yeston is pretty. There's a big lush orchestra on stage. The orchestrations are great but the music isn't especially memorable. The cast is enormous so there are a lot of grand choral numbers. The opening introducing all of the characters is surprisingly long. With so many characters though, we don't really get to know any of them all that well. And what little plot there is in the first act, is basically irrelevant come the second act since we know they're all going to die anyways, not fulfilling any of their dreams. There's something about class in there, but after a certain point we don't see much of the third class passengers anymore. To be honest, I dozed off in the first act. And when they finally do strike the iceberg, it mostly happens without fanfare. Everyone stays fairly calm. It's nothing like the chaos and spectacle of James Cameron's Titanic. 

My first year at Encores! I saw all 3 productions, and this one was my least favorite. Once Upon a Mattress and Jelly's Last Jam were both fantastic. This one a bit of a letdown in comparison.