Oh, Mary!

B-

When a show receives universal praise and is the hottest ticket on Broadway, there's always a risk that I will have sky-high expectations for it and end up disappointed. That's what happened here. Cole Escola has written a wacky piece of alternate history that portrays Mary Todd Lincoln (Escola) as a former cabaret singer driven to drink by her frustration over having to give up her beloved career. Her husband (Conrad Ricamora) is fighting not only the Civil War, but also his preference for sex with men, especially his naive assistant (Tony Macht.) He has engaged Louise (Bianca Leigh) as Mary's companion to keep her out of trouble, without much success. Finally he hires a handsome acting teacher (James Scully) from a renowned family of actors for her, dangling the vague prospect of her eventual appearance onstage. When Mary accidentally learns Abe's true plans, she does not take it well. Although the play was clearly intended as a showpiece for Escola, he (I refuse to use they as a singular) has been generous to the other actors and gives each a moment to shine. The production values are higher than you would expect in an off-Broadway export. The scenic design by dots is effective, Holly Pierson's costumes are delightful and Leah J. Loukas deserves special mention for Mary's wig with "bratty curls." Sam Pinkleton's precise direction keeps the momentum up. At 80 minutes without intermission, the play still seemed overextended with too many middling stretches between the high points. I knew the humor would be coarse, but I expected it to have more wit and fewer cheap shots. Audience laughter was almost constant, but didn't sound heartfelt. Maybe I just got up on the wrong side of bed. All the critics loved it and it just extended its run again.

Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song

B

 

For 40 years, writer/creator/director Gerard Alessandrini has been entertaining New Yorkers with his clever parodies of Broadway musicals. The 23^rd edition of his Forbidden Broadway series, subtitled “Merrily We Stole a Song,” is now in previews at Theater 555. The show opens with a strong number tracing the development of “Cabaret”’s emcee from Joel Grey to Alan Cumming to Eddie Redmayne. As the subtitle suggests, a substantial portion of the parodied shows this time are Sondheim shows and a slender narrative thread tied to “Back to the Future” suggests what would have happened if he had chosen a career in automobile design instead of musical composition. The show’s Bernadette Peters stand-in shares her disappointment over never having created a Sondheim role. Josh Grobin is called out for being so nice he turned “Sweeney Todd” into Sweety Todd. Daniel Radcliffe is credited for using his Harry Potter magic to finally make “Merrily…” a success. Since I did not see “Suffs,” “Outsiders,” “& Juliet” or “Hells Kitchen,” I can’t evaluate the segments on those shows. This edition is not only up to the minute but actually ahead of the curve, because it includes a skit about Audra’s Mama Rose from “Gypsy” before the show even opens later this Fall. Like any collection of skits, the quality varies, but I would have to say that the general level of inspiration doesn’t seem quite as high as I remember. Nevertheless, the cast of four – Chris Collins-Pisano, Danny Hayward, Nicole Vanessa Ortiz and Jenny Lee Stern – are all very talented and worth seeing in action. Fred Barton is topnotch as musical director/pianist. Gerry McIntire’s choreography is apt, and Dustin Cross’s costumes are inspired. If you enjoy musicals, you are likely to have a good time. Running time: F90 minutes, no intermission.