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.
 

Merrily We Roll Along (2024) (Broadway)

The latest revival of Merrily We Roll Along is so much better than the production I saw 5 years ago off-broadway. What's so incredible is that it's basically exactly the same and yet the presentation makes so much more sense. The confusing story-telling that usually muddles Merrily came out perfectly cohesive under Maria Friedman's direction. The minor characters' storylines come through much more clearly. And the tone is much darker than I remember. It's not just a play that moves backwards, it's a man looking back on the critical choices he made in his life that lost him his soul. It's so deeply sad and poignant in a way that was not properly conveyed before. It's about losing your friends, losing your joie de vivre, lost potential, lost time and the defeat of art by commerce. The whole thing really resonated with me; I don't know if that's due to being at a different point of life 5 years later or simply being able to follow the plot and themes this time around. Not to mention that it features some of Sondheim's most beautiful and heartbreaking melodies. The universe has a funny way of finally realizing Sondheim's most personal show after his death, the show they never quite figured out how to work, the one that broke up Sondheim and Hal Prince. I think also being a little more familiar with the music and plot, I was able to follow better and hear new things in the music, like "we never go forward" and "saying yes when I should've said no".

One of the reasons this production works so well is its 3 leads, who we truly believe to be close friends. Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez have been making the rounds on the late shows and magazine videos and such. And when they appear together, they seem to genuinely like each other. Sure, they're actors and they could all be fooling us but I'd like to believe their friendship is legit. On stage they have excellent chemistry. And all 3 of them are so good. Lindsay Mendez especially stood out to me. And I feel like Daniel Radcliffe has grown a lot as a singer since we saw a decade ago in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. And Jonathan Groff is actually playing piano, you could see his hands in the reflection of the rear window at the angle we had from the balcony. 

Doubt (Broadway) (2024)

I've been to many Broadway shows, but this has never happened before. Liev Schreiber came out on stage in his priest garb and started his opening monologue. He got about a minute in and then paused. He repeated his last line, and it looked like he might've forgotten the lines. He then apologized to the audience and walked off stage. The house lights came up and we waited for ten minutes before the announcer said they were bringing in an understudy because Schreiber was ill. The play ended up starting 45 minutes late, fortunately it's only 90 minutes. The understudy Chris McGarry played Father Flynn in the original Broadway run. He knows the role, and has played in many John Patrick Shanley plays. And he was very good but I bought these tickets to see Liev Schreiber and Tyne Daly, neither of whom we ended up seeing. Tyne Daly. Tyne Daly had to withdraw from the production for health reasons before they even opened. I thought Amy Ryan was anyways good as Sister Aloysius but she is some 20 years younger than Tyne Daly, so probably plays the role very differently. Zoe Kazan is perfectly cast as the naive younger nun.

Doubt is an excellent play. I thought the movie, also directed by Shanley, was fabulous. And the stageplay has the same tensions and intensity. It's very tightly written, no wasted scenes, just four actors, just a few settings, a couple interiors and one exterior. What I think is really interesting about this play written in 2004 is that it takes place in the 1960s. In the 60s, we might see the play a certain way, but today we bring to it added context about the Catholic Church and its well-known sex abuse problem. The teaching artists kept saying it's a show about uncertainty but I disagree. Because of what we know about Catholic priests, we assume that Sister Aloysius is right. She has no doubts and neither do we about Father Flynn. The most tragic scene is the one with Mrs. Muller, who knows it too. But as a black woman in the 60s in the Bronx, she has other problems to worry about. She has to overlook it because she has no other choice. The scene hits harder if we think that she knows. Come the final scene, when Sister Aloysius says she has doubts, she's not talking about Father Flynn, she's talking about her faith. A play about a nun and a priest called Doubt must be referring to a crisis of faith. And yes, the absurdity of the Catholic Church is enough to shake a nun's faith.

There was an artist talkback after the show with the set designer David Rockwell--who apparently also has a career as an architect of high-end restaurants. I thought the set was fantastic.
 

96th Academy Awards (2024)

In the year of Barbenheimer, I think it's safe to say the movies are back. Barbie was indisputably the short-term victor, but Oppenheimer will have the last laugh. And this was in a year Hollywood shut down thanks to twin strikes by WGA and SAG. Shawn Fain may be the face of labor in America, but Fran Drescher's rousing speech that made the rounds on social media is the defining image of the labor movement. She has the advantage of being an actor of course, but I was genuinely moved by her advocacy for the cause. And even more than The Nanny, this will be her legacy. A note to Jimmy Kimmel; in reference to Anatomy of a Fall, he should deliver his monologue with an instrumental version of 50 Cent's P.I.M.P. blasting over him. 

My Top 10:

1. A Thousand and One
2. Past Lives
3. The Boy and the Heron
4. The Holdovers
5. American Fiction
6. Oppenheimer
7. Monster
8. Asteroid City
9. How to Blow Up a Pipeline
10. Killers of the Flower Moon
11. Poor Things
12. All of Us Strangers

Honorable Mentions: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Are You There God? It's Me Margaret, Blackberry, You Hurt My Feelings, The Promised Land, Dicks: The Musical

Best Picture:

1. Oppenheimer
2. Barbie
3. Killers of the Flower Moon
4. Poor Things
5. The Holdovers
6. Anatomy of a Fall
7. Past Lives
8. The Zone of Interest
   
9. American Fiction
10. Maestro

Best Director:
Will Win/Should Win: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer

Best Actress:
Will Win/Should Win: Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Honorable Mention: Teyana Taylor, A Thousand and One

Best Actor:
Will Win: Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Should Win: Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction
Honorable Mention: Leonardo DiCaprio, Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Supporting Actress:
Will Win/Should Win: Da'Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

Best Supporting Actor:
Will Win: Robert Downey Jr, Oppenheimer
Should Win: Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Honorable Mention: Charles Melton, May December

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Will Win: Barbie
Should Win: Oppenheimer

Best Original Screenplay:
Will Win/Should Win: Past Lives

Best Cinematography:
Will Win/Should Win: Oppenheimer

Best Costume Design:
Will Win/Should Win: Barbie

Best Editing:
Will Win/Should Win: Oppenheimer

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
Will Win/Should Win: Maestro

Best Production Design:
Will Win: Barbie
Should Win: Poor Things
Honorable Mention: Asteroid City

Best Score:
Will Win/Should Win: Oppenheimer
Honorable Mention: The Boy and the Heron

Best Song:
Will Win/Should Win: What Was I Made For? by Billie Eilish, Barbie

Best Sound:
Will Win/Should Win: The Zone of Interest

Best Visual Effects:
Will Win/Should Win: The Creator

Best Animated Feature:
Will Win/Should Win: The Boy and the Heron

Best Documentary Feature:
Will Win/Should Win: 20 Days in Mariupol

Best International Film:
Will Win: The Zone of Interest
Should Win: Perfect Days

Best Animated Short:
Will Win: WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko
Should Win: Ninety-Five Senses

Best Documentary Short:
Will Win: The ABC of Book Banning
Should Win: The Last Repair Shop

Best Live Action Short:
Will Win/Should Win: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Result: I scored a paltry 15/23, placing seventh in my Oscars pool (congrats to Stephen with 20!). Emma Stone ended up breaking the 3-way tie. I'm not mad though about my errors because I loved the American Fiction screenplay, and the Poor Things production design and costume design and makeup/hairstyles and The Last Repair Shop and the Godzilla Minus One VFX. Also kind of hilarious that Hayao Miyazaki and WEs Anderon didn't show up.

I think it is notable that five distinct foreign language features won Oscars outside the International category: Anatomy of a Fall (screenplay), The Zone of Interest (sound), The Boy and the Heron (animation), 20 Days in Mariupol (documentary) and Godzilla: Minus One (VFX), reflecting the real impact the internationalization of the voting body over the last several years has had. Love that Justine Triet walked up to P.I.M.P in her Nicky-Kidman-at-an-AMC-getup.

I think the other story here is the non-story that Barbie's snubs became. Though there was much uproar over the snubs of Greta Gerwig for director and Margot Robbie for lead actor at the time nominations came out, it did not result in voters trying to make up for it in the final voting. Even Jimmy Kimmel noted that it was only the fault of the folks in the room. In the below-the-line craft categories where I had predicted Barbie victories, they lost all of them to Poor Things (probably an early indicator that Emma would topple Lily). The lone category Gerwig was nominated for in adapted screenplay ended up going to American Fiction, something of an upset, but a clear indication that the voters were not going for Barbie.  

Jelly's Last Jam (Encores!) (2024)

I was blown away by Jelly's Last Jam. The plot is a little muddy but every single song is a showstopper. The music is infectious, the dancing is energetic and the cast is on fire. The first half is a little more exciting than the second half. The tap dance numbers are mesmerizing, the large ensemble really carrying their weight. The supporting cast each get their moment in the spotlight, and they make the most of it, commanding the stage with authority. Tiffany Mann and Okieriete Onaodowan steal their scenes. Leslie Uggams and Joaquina Kalukango too are incredible. Billy Porter's grim reaper-esque character suits him. And Nicholas Christopher as the leading man is fabulous. The Hunnies look amazing considering the three of them are returning to the role some 32-years later. It's a huge production for a two-week run (we caught the last show). Though the set is sparse, it's very handsome with the band onstage. The music is Jelly Roll Morton's himself. I loved the big band orchestrations. 

 There is a complex story about race. Jelly Roll Morton was a light-skinned Creole man who struggled to fit-in with both white and black people. He alienated his friends for it and was left lonely. His superiority complex and insistence that he invented jazz not only damaged his reputation (which needed no burnishing as his accomplishments were nevertheless vast), but also was an insult to the other black forefathers of jazz. There is a paradox that he didn't see himself as black but thought himself the inventor of a quintessentially black genre. And it is this that haunts him in purgatory in the final moments of his life that make up the show.

There was way more use of the N-word than I was expecting and I suspect that is partly why the show is not oft revived. But surely this production must be Broadway bound. They've spent lavishly on it and it deserves a Broadway run.

Once Upon a Mattress (Encores!) (2024)

What a cast they've assembled for Encores! now in its 30th year. Honestly, it's a shame it's only going to run for two weeks, though even that is long by City Center (beautiful ornate theater) standards. Everyone is perfectly cast to type. I'd say special standouts are J Harrison Ghee whose beautiful singing voice and singular stage presence is readily apparent, Sutton Foster good as always, Harriet Harris as the overbearing mother/queen with a regal British accent, Michael Urie as the naive princeling, and Cheyenne Jackson as the dimwitted knight really into his spurs. Sutton Foster's entrance about thirty minutes in is greeted with a huge applause and her big number Shy is a showstopper. I didn't really have any familiarity with the show but I was pleasantly surprised to find a very funny script and catchy songs. There is a lot of physical comedy too, probably not written in, such as Foster re-adjusting atop the mattresses and Urie rolling up the stairs. It's a fun show I recommend, a steal really for $28. The balcony is super far and high (at 5 flights up), but you can still pretty much see everything save for the back of the orchestra (and one scene of smaller physical comedy that I couldn't make out what Foster was doing).

The Curse (2022-3)

Nathan Fielder's first scripted project defies description. Sure, Nathan For You and  The Rehearsal also fit that category, but The Curse takes cringe comedy to another level. And I wouldn't necessarily say I outright enjoyed it the way I did The Rehearsal or Nathan For You. I genuinely laughed at episodes 5 and 9. But I found myself totally baffled by most episodes, and made awkwardly uncomfortable by some. Yes, I understand that's the point but this was even much for me. The finale is the craziest hour of television ever.--opening with a spot-on recreation of a Rachael Ray segment. It was totally unpredictable, very difficult to interpret, and I have no idea how they managed to film those scenes. I have now read many an article deconstructing the finale and it's still beyond me. Fielder plays his signature deadpan self, the butt of many self-deprecating jokes. Benny Safdie is also a master of uncomfortable filmmaking, known for high anxiety movies like Good Time and Uncut Gems. As an actor, he plays out of his usual character as a sleazy reality show director--nothing like the wholesome dad or physicist he played last year. And most notably is Emma Stone, who can literally play anything. She has never been better.