Marina (Little Island)

Little Island trimmed down their programming this summer. I think they're looking to cut down on their expenses but in this maritime production that happened to be on a rainy night, they provided good quality disposal ponchos. This is my second outing to the Amphitheater and this was certainly the stranger production. A commission by the Whitney Biennial, Marina is a world premiere by Martine Gutierrez, who stars as the titular Marina, and Julio Torres, who wrote and directed the hour-long play. I was a little deceived because I thought Torres would be in it. There is even a role that should have been played by Julio--a character that rolls around the stage on its stomach. All the under-the-sea characters use spooky voices. Their costumes are absurd. I mean, I don't know what a sea wench is supposed to look like so the production designers ran wild. This ain't no Disney-fied little mermaid. It is funny in a Torres kind of way. It's weird, not for everyone. I don't think it's as incisive or funny as his other work. But it has its moments. Just as Ariel collects human thingamabobs from the surface, Marina comes across a smartphone and promptly creates an OKCupid profile to catfish unsuspecting human men who she slays when they realize the deception. Before we started, we were a little surprised that the play was so short but I think an hour is honestly the right length for a show that's so out there. I was also led to believe it was a musical. While it has a score by Lia Ouyang Rusli (who wrote the music or Happyend) there aren't really songs. Glad to have seen it anyway! 

The Bear (FX/Hulu) (2022-6)

At its best, The Bear was the best thing on TV. It was intense to a level TV had never seen before, like watching a Safide Brothers movie about the fine dining scene in Chicago. In an era of binge watching, you couldn't sit through multiple episodes of The Bear. You needed a break from all the yelling and cursing. And in the years since, The Pitt has adopted its style, and perhaps improved upon it by being a little more bingeable. Even when stressful TV has sort of fallen out of fashion otherwise in these stressful times when people are looking for more peaceful optimistic leisure TV like Ted Lasso. 

The heights of The Bear is season 2, namely the standout episode "Fishes" that won Emmys for Jon Bernthal and Jamie Lee Curtis fresh off Everything Everywhere All at Once. Other highlights included the love for Chicago, the supporting character-centric standalone episodes, the needle drops (Can't Hardly Wait in Pop), the spectacular guest spots, the food porn, the editing, and the star-making turns from Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Ayo Edebiri. It lost its way a little bit in Season 3 and 4--less engaging, less demanding, generally less interesting, kind of depressing. But Season 5 brought the series to a fitting, uplifting finale. It has a much smaller focus, taking place all basically in a day, focused on one stressful dinner service. And in the end we get to see these characters on the verge of suicide finally smile again and find some peace. 

The Winter's Tale (2026) (The Public Theater)

In my first return to the Delacorte since the renovation (following the blockbuster production last summer we couldn't get tickets to), the theater actually looks largely the same. After all that, they could have added a roof, because it was a rainy night. It rained on and off, light drizzle to a downpour in intermission. And you're not allowed to use an umbrella during the show. You need a good poncho. Not as fitting as when we saw the Tempest, but there is a storm scene at the end of Act I during which it did start raining. We had great seats at the back of the middle section, with no one next to us or in front of us, scared away by the rain. We actually had a little overhang shielding us from the control booth. One of the actors even slipped in the rain. The seats are still super uncomfortable. But beautiful space. 

I had no familiarity with this less frequently performed Shakespeare play. It runs way too long, at nearly 3.5 hours. There are many scenes that play out like a final scene, but then it keeps on going and going. It is neither a tragedy nor comedy nor history play. I guess it's kind of a comedy since it ends in marriage, but it's not really funny. The first act actually plays out more like a tragedy, ending in death. It's all the more jarring that the second act opens with a pastoral scene after that. It's a dialogue heavy play, with not much action or scenery to speak of. And the dialogue is not super easy to follow or understand and it's kind of boring. Act II fast forwards sixteen years but had I not read the synopsis that probably would have been lost on me. There is a small four-piece band that accompanies the cast out of sight. They're the best part. 

Giulia: The Poison Queen of Palermo (PAC NYC) (2026)

In my last season of eligibility for under 30 tickets, I went to the new musical by Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland. I love that there is a cool space to promote new works, even if the new plays aren't that good. The $9 fee, even at the box office, is unjustifiable though! I unfortunately didn't really like the music. It's a lot of kind of samey ballads. Some of the characters have musical inspiration clearly drawn from Hamilton, but not as catchy or clever, looking at the Governatore and to a lesser extent the Cardinal. And the lyrics and themes are kind of lame. Like "what happens next?" That just sets up more telling not showing. The plot is mostly predictable. It's a surprisingly bloodless show considering how many bodies pile up. I think it may have worked better if it leaned into that more, Sweeney Todd-style, punching up the writing with some comedy and gore (even has the icky judge-ward age gap relationship). 

I did like the set. There's a big cabinet with three double doors that are regularly opened and closed to reveal new scenery. There's a very pretty church window, apothecary shelves, and lots of other creative ways to transport the audience. There's also an imposing staircase on stage reminiscent of a dramatic opera. And I liked the choreography of the first murder scene. 

Hacks (2021-6)

Hacks has quietly been the funniest show on TV. I say quietly because it was quite a surprise when it claimed the Emmy for Best Comedy in season 3. And though The Studio won for its debut season over Season 4, I think Hacks is a shoo-in for its excellent finale. What started out as a show about inter-generational differences evolved into so much more than that. Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder have great chemistry, as employer-employee, as mentor-mentee, as writer-performer, as friends, and as would-be lovers in one hilarious episode in Montecito. And they weren't the only pair. Paul Downs and Megan Stalter were their own odd couple that got more screen time and their own full-fledged story lines in later seasons. The supporting cast was full of characters. They deliver sharp one-liners, really smart writing. Las Vegas has never looked better, really a character in itself, emblematic of the whole ethos of Hacks. Deborah Vance, at the start a washed up comedienne replaying her same old jokes in her Vegas residency. But the city has a sheen to it, money, glitz, glamor. A corporate sheen. It's a nice touch that in the final season, Deborah and Marcus open up a boutique casino, trying to revive the old glory days. Wonderful show.

La Cage aux Folles (Encores!) (2026)

Encores is sometimes hit-or-miss. The whole conceit is they revive lesser known shows. But La Cage was revived on Broadway not that long ago. It's a show that deserves revival. It's hilarious, the melodies are lush and hummable and with Republicans attacking gay rights, it's unfortunately timely (and it's Pride!). Billy Porter plays a phenomenal Zaza. He of course won a Tony for Kinky Boots, and the Zaza character is not so dissimilar, including the heels. He sings a show-stopping I Am What I Am and The Best of Times. And with not much rehearsal, he was on-book for one book scene and also missed an entrance and hilariously ordered the orchestra to start again. Wayne Brady too is excellent. The two of them make a convincing pair. It's a huge all-black cast, paying homage to the black divas: Whitney, Beyonce, Rihanna, Grace Jones, etc. The hair and costumes are great. That opening number is so much fun with the choreography and all the showgirls on stage. I think this may have been the most enjoyable Encores production I've ever seen. Loved it. 

The Balusters (Manhattan Theatre Company) (2026)

I enjoyed The Balusters very much. It's hilarious. I haven't laughed this hard since Oh Mary. It's about a toxic HOA, a nine-person board with feuds about stop signs and balusters. And the Vernon Point Neighborhood Association gave me PTSD thinking about my co-op board. It hits on a lot of relatable petty squabbles. From the sound of it, a bit about dog poop really resonated with one person sitting in the orchestra. The plot is sort of predictable but it's really well executed. I's about all of our modern identity sensitivities; no one is safe. Kenny Leon very deftly balances the themes about race with Anika Noni Rose leading the cast and hosting the HOA meeting as the newbie. Richard Thomas plays the president of the HOA, deservedly nominated for a Tony, coming off as genuine and sincere but a conniving bastard. Loved this show.