Arts and Times

If you haven't heard of Merrily We Roll Along  before now, how on earth have you stumbled on this blog lol.  Merrily  has a complex and often troubled history. The brainchild of musical theater legends Stephen Sondheim and Hal Prince, based on the play of the same name by Kaufman and Hart, the show originally opened in 1981 and closed after only 16 performances. The score has long been heralded by musical theater fans, but pretty much everyone agreed that the show itself just didn't work.  The piece moves backwards in time and explores how our lives can head down wildly different tracks (often with compromised, cynical results) than we ever imagined or intended. Specifically, the show follows three "Old Friends" - composer Frank, playwright Charlie, and novelist Mary. At the beginning of the play we see jaded, "sell out" Frank giving an incredibly depressing address to the graduating class of his alma mater. One of the students asks "How did you get to ...

  Photo by Matthew Murphy There are different lenses through which I could review the anniversary tour of Disney's Beauty and the Beast : As family entertainment, as a Broadway revival (especially valid since there is talk of having this tour stop on Broadway in the same way The Wiz  and Beetlejuice  did (or, in this case, possibly longer than those offerings)), or, simply from my personal point of view. As family entertainment it is fun and the kids will have a nice time. But I would feel remiss if that's all I focused on in this review, despite the fact that a family, and largely kid, audience is what the production is clearly aiming for. Compared with the wide array of family theater offerings it's obviously about as big a spectacle as you can get (though I sometimes prefer the more intimate pieces, as do many kids...), and it comes with an equivalent, if not outrageous, price tag. If you have kids who won't be scared by special effects and love the original animated...

Photo by Jeremy Daniel Reunions  is comprised of two short musicals that together form a one act evening (an hour and a half with no intermission.) Each musical is based on a short story. As the press kit says: "Reunions  is a new musical adaptation of two famous one-act plays with a common theme: lovers met by chance after many years apart.  Photo by Jeremy Daniel The Twelve Pound Look  is based on the play by   J.M. Barrie , the creator of  Peter Pan . The play takes place in Downton Abbey-era London.  Harry Sims is about to be knighted when the past catches up with him in this ripped-from-the-headlines look at issues of social class, a woman's "place," and the high price of success.                                                                   ...

"The Art of Leaving", currently playing off-Broadway at NYC's Signature Center is, I'm sorry to say, an absolute disaster. Author Anne Marilyn Lucas is desperately trying to write Neil Simon writing "A Doll's House" for modern times and it falls flat in just about every way it can. Lucas has few writing credits and seems stuck in the "Neil Simon Generation". I'm frankly shocked that this piece made it to the prestigious (and EXPENSIVE! Few shows ever recoup there) Signature Center. The story is painfully, cartoonishly simple. Toxic male narcissist Aaron (Jordan Lage) is just past middle age and having an over the top crisis. He's become obsessed with a "red pill" esque guru promising men over forty their virility, freedom and happiness back if they will stick rigidly to his protein shake regimen, daily mantras and, oh yeah, leaving their wives. Aaron's wife Diana (Audrey Heffernan Meyer) is obsessively, vapidly devoted whi...

Malcolm Stephenson (Edward) and Ashley Griffin (Claire), Photo by Steve Rogers The Illusionary Games of Edward Rye , a new play by Ashley Griffin, directed by Elizabeth V. Newman and produced by Filigree Theatre is the best work of art that I've seen in a very long time. Writer Griffin (who also plays Claire,) has a Broadway pedigree as a writer and performer, and I'm far from surprised. This is the kind of work that theaters should be investing in, and it is a rare treat for regional audiences to have the honor of experiencing a world premiere of this caliber. Austin residents are in for a phenomenal evening and will get lifelong bragging rights of saying they were the first to see this fantastic work. The piece is difficult to describe because, like the world of magic and magicians in which it is set, there are seemingly infinite layers upon layers of misdirection that, in this case, ultimately lead to a poignant truth. It is a meta show full of twists and turns that leaves a...

  Mae Martin has quickly established herself as a comedy legend. Like Fluffy (who I recently reviewed when he performed in Austin,) Martin is the kind of comedian that can convert even the staunchest "I hate stand up comedy" folks.  Martin pairs straight up epic humor with beautiful, poignant storytelling. Her comedy is in service of something larger - a commentary on the human condition. I also love the fact that Martin is the kind of artist (and person) who has been able to bridge the "Left" and "Right" gap. Martin is self described as queer and recently came out as non-binary (Martin uses they/them pronouns.) But if anyone just had a strong negative reaction to that information, I would say that Martin's work is exactly the kind of art you need to see. Martin is a human being first and foremost and if you are the kind of person who believes in the "sin of empathy" and that "all woke libs are crazy" you actually might be surprised...