I am in London as I type. Probably my best trip ever in terms of at least liking all but one of the shopws I have seen:
— Patriots *****. Tom Hollander and the actor who played Putin were spectacularly good. Play very entertaining and provocative
— The Motive and the Cue **** 1/2. Fat is and Flynn were also both spectacularly good. Gattnis had the less showy role but stole the show to me. If it comes to Broadway, both would be serious Tony candidates. Thought the play itself was very good and the direction brilliant. My only issue: how to you have Elizabeth Taylor be a relatively minor character in a play! You have her tell the director something about Burton that he did not know. Still, I deduct half a star because I felt that Tuppence Middleton, an actor I always like did not to me convey Taylor the way Flynn did Burton.
Rose ****. I only saw this because picking were a little slim. Lots of things just closed and lots of things opening after I leave. The play was perhaps a little too facile for such an intense subject, but Lipman, who I had not seen in 30 years, was simply astounding.
Witness for the Prosecution ****. Just a good old fashioned courtroom drama exceptionally well done. Performed in a former courtroom, which really added to the fun. If you want to see something whose only objective is to entertain, consider it.
Bleak Expectations *** 1/2. Very enjoyable, slight comedy whose guest star was Robert Lindsey, who reminded my why I loved his performances in Me and My Girl and Becket (London) over 30 years ago, longer in the case of the former. Won’t try to explain it but I had a smile on my face the entire time.
Mousetrap *** 1/2. I had seen this 40 years and remembered not liking it. My wife had never seen ot so we went. I enjoyed it much more than I expected. Well acted, paced and entertaining.
Brokeback Mountain ** 1/2. Just pales next to the movie plus I did not like the music. Hesges is a fine actor but suffered from my memory of Ledger and Faist, though he fared better, was not as good as Gyllenhall. It just didn’t add anything and missed the spectacular scenery and direction of the movie.
Back to the Future ** 1/2, maybe ***. About the only musical that I had not seen and cannot see in NYC or on tour. Cute, good design, mediocre new songs. I bet this will run out of steam after its early, probable, period of full houses. Biggest issue definitely mediocre score.
ABBA ***. Was technically amazing, entertaining and at only 90 minutes it seemed a little long. Plus it was a real hassle getting to the venue.
We saw no other musicals because there’s nothing that you either can’t see in NY or I had no interest in seeing. Definitely sorry that I missed A Little Life, which is reopening soon and a couple of shows that I don’t remember right now.
Did not see Cabaret because I had seen a great regional production in Sarasota in December (better IMO than the original production or the SamMendes version, hard as that is to believe). Also, I figured that I would wait on the possibility that it will come to NYC with the original London leads.
I would have tried to squeeze one or two more, but my wife was tired and there really was nothing I needed to see.
so other than Back to And Brokeback, I would strongly recommend considering any of the others.
