New York Theatre: What To See Now
We are in full swing right now with the New York fall-theatre season. I am unable to review everything for the Financial Times, but want to alert you to things I may not have gotten to for the paper — productions that are absolutely worth booking at the moment if you live in the area or are planning a holiday-season trip here for cultural purposes:
1) “Fun Home” — Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori’s version of cartoonist Alison Bechdel’s memoir is perfectly scaled to its subject and is a tremendously touching exploration of a young lesbian’s relationship with her father over the years. A superb cast led by Michael Cerveris (pictured) and Judy Kuhn.
2) “Domesticated” — The new play by Bruce Norris, author of prize-winning “Clybourne Park,” explores the effects on a couple and their family from a public scandal. Another sharp study of how society impacts individual experience from always-provocative Norris. The cast is led by Jeff Goldblum and Mary Beth Peil, and especially by Laurie Metcalf, who is giving the fiercest performance in town.
3) “Twelfth Night” — I haven’t seen this all-male version of Shakespeare’s comedy yet (it’s running in rep with “Richard III”) but everyone I know who has says that it’s absolutely delicious. Mark Rylance and Stephen Fry lead the cast.
4) “After Midnight” — In this musical-standards revue evoking Harlem in the 1920s, Fantasia Barrino and Dule Hill are the singing stars, but it is the glorious costumes of Isabel Toledo, the playing of the Jazz at Lincoln Center All-Stars, and, especially, the spectacular dancing of the entire cast that make this show a must-see. Ace tapper Jared Grimes, superb shorty Virgil “Lil’ O” Gadson, and the spectacular Daniel J. Watts are all unforgettable.
5) “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812” — Dave Malloy’s adaptation of “War and Peace,” from Ars Nova, has moved its tent to the Broadway-theatre district. The show, distinguished by an elegant Lucas Steele as the scoundrel Anatole and the heart-wrenching voice of Brittain Ashford as Sonya, takes place in a ravishing Russian-red nightclub. The actors move about the audience adeptly. The best musical in town!
