Hello Broadway!

You know I loves me the theater, and for some reason, I don’t know why, seeing theater in New York is the best. I love our theaters in L.A., but there’s an energy in New York that feels different. I managed to fit 3 shows into our 5-day trip and just in case you’re headed to the Big Apple any time soon, here are my quick reviews:

I saw Next To Normal, A Steady Rain and Billy Elliott. Next To Normal was my favorite of the three. I don’t know why someone would think writing a musical about a woman who's mental illness is taking over her life would be a good idea, but yay for them. This show was awesome! All the performances were terrific, the songs were alternately funny and moving, and I loved the staging. I hope it comes to L.A. one of these days.



A Steady Rain was a man-fest. It was a two-man show, starring Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig. Just the two of them, and two chairs, on the stage. They play Chicago cops and tell the tale of their tragic summer. It’s pretty heavy stuff, but really good performances, which you might expect.

Billy Elliot was great, which shouldn’t come as a surprise, given that it's won a grip load of Tony Awards and the music is by Elton John. It's one of those shows that leaves you feeling great as you walk out of the theater.

Turns out JoBeth Williams is a damned good actor!

Why do you know the name JoBeth Williams? She’s probably most famous as part of the ensemble cast in The Big Chill and for her role as the mom in Poltergeist. In recent years she’s been doing guest starring roles in TV shows like Dexter, but right now you can see her on stage at the Pasadena Playhouse.

In The Night Is A Child, Williams plays Harriet, a WASP homemaker who has flown to Brazil to take a trip she’s wanted to take for years, leaving behind two grown children in Massachusetts, who have no idea where she’s gone. She meets a free-spirited doctor on a beach in Rio de Janiero and you learn, over the course of two acts, that both women are carrying terrible secrets. I have to tell you that there’s quite a twist towards the end of the second act, and it left me teary-eyed and with goose bumps - now that’s a good play! It runs through Oct. 4th.

http://www.pasadenaplayhouse.org/