April in New York in the theater world is the busiest time of all, with new shows opening at a rate of several per week, as producers try to launch their shows before the end-of-month deadlines for Tony Award nominations eligibility (which happens this year on May 1). Here are reviews of three new shows on the Great White Way. A couple must-sees and one big disappointment.
Old Friends. Through June 15 at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
****/***** (four stars out of five)
Since the beloved Stephen Sondheim’s death in 2021, there have been several Broadway revivals of his works—almost as tributes of sorts. But the real celebration of one of the most important composers and lyricists of the 20th century has finally arrived in the form of Old Friends, now on Broadway at the Friedman Theatre. More a theatrical celebration than narrative show or jukebox musical, Old Friends is a survey of 41 of Sondheim’s greatest songs, capped with a moving montage of photos of the master’s life . . . like one might see at a memorial. It’s like the most utterly refined cabaret show, perfectly honed for the professional stage, delivered by a world class cast.
Anchoring the show are two of the greatest Broadway chanteuses of our era: Bernadette Peters and Lea Solanga. To see this duo on stage together, belting out pitch perfect renditions of some of the most iconic songs of the latter half of the 20th century, is an unforgettable experience—one that every audience member will treasure forever. One of the greatest realizations I had is that within months of each other I saw both Audra McDonald (now headlining in Gypsy just a couple blocks away) and Lea Solanga sing unbelievably rousing and moving versions of “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.” This is a unique and rare moment indeed. Then there’s Peters and Solanga bringing the audience to near tears with a stunning “Send in the Clowns.” In any other production the rest of this rather large cast (from Beth Leavel to Gavin Lee) would be worthy of singling out, but this is Lea and Bernadette’s show and they are utterly enchanting hosts of one of the finest tributes an artist can have.
The Picture of Dorian Gray. Through June 29 at the Music Box Theatre
*****/***** (five stars out of five)
Multi-character plays that are performed by a single actor seem to be all the rage of late. There’s Andrew Scott’s Vanya and last year’s Hamlet performed solely by Eddie Izzard. They are often accused of being self-indulgent and confusing, despite the skill and deftness with which they are performed. But Kip Williams’ new adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s novella, The Picture of Dorian Gray, in which Sarah Snook (HBO’s “Succession”) plays all 26 roles, is a whole new animal. In fact, it’s probably misleading to suggest that Snook is the only performer in the show. Supported by a stunningly adept, black-clad technical crew who not only follow her with cameras around the stage, but are instrumental in providing her with props and helping her through costume and wig changes, which she undertakes, almost with a wink, in full view of the audience, as if to say, “watch me change into a completely different character so convincingly that you no longer think it’s me.” But, in addition to Snook’s breathtaking and perfectly-timed and easy-to-follow performance, is the stunning use of various projection screens on which she appears different, pre-recorded characters interacting with her live character both on video and on stage. In one instance she has a lively dinner discussion with seven pre-recorded characters—all her though hardly recognizable—seated at a long table. The combination of the sublime video work and her precision acting is utterly breathtaking: like a great illusionist she truly appears be in the same room as her other selves. It’s likely this production, also beautifully directed by Williams, will influence countless shows for years to come, as others attempt to capture the magic act that Williams, Snook and the technical crew have put together on stage.
Glengarry Glen Ross. Through June 28 at the Palace Theatre
**/***** (two stars out of five)
The latest Broadway revival of David Mamet’s much-loved Glengarry Glen Ross—the story of a group of greedy, angry and desperate real estate salesmen in early 1980s Chicago—is a collision of many things going wrong at once. To begin with, staging it on the recently (and spectacularly) renovated Palace Theater, was a mistake, as the play’s intimacy is virtually swallowed up by the vast auditorium and massive, much too wide stage. Mamet’s plays depend on intimate settings (many were originally staged at the 300-seat Orpheum Theatre in the East Village) that allow the audience to feel involved in the very emotional and explosive exchanges between characters. These moments—and they are plentiful in Glengarry—are, in fact, the heart of Mamet’s works. Story is secondary to the point of almost being incidental; and, in fact, we learn nothing about the characters’ lives, rendering them superficial as well.
So when a Richard Roma (weakly played by Kieran Culkin who won an Oscar this year, but has scant experience on stage), tries to butt heads over sales leads with arch personalities like Bill Burr’s Dave Moss and Bob Odenkirk’s Shelley Levene, the moment’s passion disappears into the ether and viewers are not as shaken and disturbed as they ought to be. Instead of being in the room, we are far outside, passively looking in. So, despite a cast loaded with amazing actors—with Michael McKean adding to the Burr and Odenkirk triumvirate—and Scott Pask’s beautifully authentic sets (a plush Chinese restaurant in the first act and a drab office in the second act), director Patrick Marber was hamstrung from the outset. What should have been an explosive theatrical experience has merely become an opportunity for tourists to see their favorite TV actors in the flesh.
