La Cage Aux Faboolous!

Last night I saw the revival of La Cage Aux Folles at the Marquis Theater. It starred Gary "I Wish I Were Nathan Lane Because Anything He Can Do I Can Do Backward And In Heels" Beach and Daniel "I Was Tony Nominated But All Anyone Can Remember Was That I Was The Butler In The Nanny" Davis. They were (bad drag queen pun alert), ahem, Divine. It really is a touching story. Well, what there is of story, since this is really in the classic vein of the old-school Broadway musical. It's main draw was really a bunch of men in drag performing acrobatics and a kickline that would have put the Rockettes to shame. Oh, and the requisite penis gags.

I was especially pleased that they kept it set in France and that they didn't try to overtly pull any references to the current state of politics and anti-family policies of the current administration. Gary Beach's "I Am What I Am" made me sniffle, although I officially maintain it's my lingering cold. I kept thinking about how it must have been received in 1983; it's not a shy piece. The show is not Jerry Herman's best, but I'd definitely recommend it for the season. Considering the garbage Broadway has been dumping on us lately, it's quite refreshing.

Wildhorn's Latest Suck-Fest

I've been wanting to see the new musical, Dracula, for some time now, mainly because it stars Tom Hewitt and Melissa Errico. Although I haven't been paying much attention to theater news of late so I had no idea that it was a Frank Wildhorn show. I was wondering what he was up to after that major suck-fest, "The Civil War." Apparently making a bigger suck-fest. As Ben Brantley puts it:

Expectations were exceedingly low for this latest offering from the unstoppable Mr. Wildhorn — the composer of the expensively dressed clunkers "Jekyll and Hyde," "The Scarlet Pimpernel" and "The Civil War" — and expectations have not been disappointed. So go ahead. Take your shots. Say something, if you must, about toothlessness or bloodlessness or the kindness of hammering stakes into the hearts of undead shows. Think of every appropriate variation you can involving the verbs to bite and to suck.

It definitely makes me wish I'd appreciated "Dance of the Vampires" more. A pop-song writer (Jim Steineman, of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" fame) making a cheezy musical about vampires is much more appealing than a cheezy musical writer making a boring serious musical about vampires set to pop-songs.

Don't Feed the Plants!

For my little sister's birthday/graduation present, I let her come visit me in the city, play Atari (because she always let me play Vice City on her PS2) and see Little Shop of Horrors. I knew that the cast was being overhauled but I didn't know what a surprise I was in for. Hunter Foster left to go to The Producers (I wish I'd known *that* before I saw it last month) and as Melissa and I were walking down the street with both caught a glimpse of the marquee.

"Little Shop of Horrors!" it said in large lettering. And, much to my pleasure (chagrin?) a sign almost as large underneath. I was flabbergasted. Flabbergasted. "Now Starring.... Joey Fatone!" Yup, kiddies, Seymour Krelborn was being played by none other than the fat one from *NSYNC. Needless to say, it made our night. Also needless to say, he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.