Every now and then comes along a Broadway show that takes me by surprise. I go in to the theater wondering how I will feel when I leave and whether I will recommend it to anyone. Will it sweep me up and transport me into another world where I can escape my daily routine and take me to that faraway dreamy place I hope to land whenever I take in a show?

My most recent Broadway experience, Bright Star, did all this but I must admit that it took time to get me there. Written by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, the show is a bit of a sureal piece of fiction based on reality. It has an explosive plot twist at the end of act one that left me reeling in my seat. Prior to that moment, I was ambivalent about the show and where it was taking me. But that one moment changed everything and during act 2, I was completely riveted.

And then I started to realize the power of what was going on before me….the music, the dancing, the talent on that stage. With the book written by Steve Martin and the songs written by Edie Brickell, there are banjos, guitars and violins playing the score, something I may not have been used to at first but I realized at the end that it all worked really, really well and set out to do what it meant to – tell a powerful story that left me and every audience member shedding a tear…or two…of three.

Set in North Carolina between the years of 1923 and 1945-1946, the show revolves around the experiences of two characters, both writers: Carmen Cusack’s Alice Murphy, an editor of a fictionalized magazine, the Asheville Southern Journal, and Billy Cane played by A.J. Shively, a young man back from World War II who dreams of having his stories published in her periodical. Through a series of flashbacks, their lives pivot and come crashing into each other’s and the results are electrifying. Along the way, we are treated with beautiful songs (Brickell’s lyrics are truly beautiful).

The music is played by an onstage bluegrass band conducted by Rob Berman, which brings the show even closer to our hearts with its interactive, up close and personal feel. The cast is also perfection, which aids the play at certain moments but cheers to Cusack who is marvelous – there is no other way to describe her. The set, designed by Eugene Lee, is also pretty spectacular, showcasing a wood cabin on wheels. The result puts audience members directly into the backwoods of North Carolina, a place I must admit I’ve never been to, despite the fact that I’m a Georgia girl.

If you want to see the show, please use this discount code when you book: BSBLOG303. Tickets are as low as $39 for performances thru June 12th here.

Disclosure: I was at the show as press. However, all opinions are my own.

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Today I witnessed a very special Broadway play. I use the word “witness” because I feel like I was privy to a story that demanded being told. It’s about a group of women in Africa undergoing a very private experience that we otherwise would perhaps never know about…or understand.

Danai Gurira’s original drama is about women’s suffering during the Liberian civil wars and it’s a one of a kind. It stars Lupita Nyong’o in her Broadway debut, but it’s truly an ensemble play in which every actress has a stand out performance playing a woman with her own unique experience during a dire situation. The play is edge of your seat suspenseful, yet beautiful, and directed by a South African director who obviously loves the play  – her name is Liesl Tommy. The staging, the set, the clothing all meshes into very powerful storytelling. The show also stars Pascale Armand, Akosua Busia, Zainab Jah and Saycon Sengbloh, who are, to be honest, all phenomenal.

I went to a matinee, having bought a discount ticket, which I feel lucky to have gotten – the line to get in was around the block. Clearly Nyong’o will bring in an audience for this show, which is so important as it clearly spells out the true dangers that exist today in certain African countries. This play is a clear reminder, a good one, that theater is an excellent way to share important stories from around the world.

The play revolves around a group of  “wives” (code word for sex slaves in this case) of a commanding officer of a Liberian rebel faction. The women must spend everyday awaiting his command. As they go one by one to him when called upon, the return taking a rag and dipping it in water before wiping their private parts. We never see him but we sense their fear. None of these women have names, they are known as wife #1, 2, etc. and they each one is stripped of all dignity. One is pregnant. One is only 15 years old. She reads to the women, she wants more from life. Funnily enough, the book she reads is about Bill Clinton and the women become obsessed with him and Monica Lewinsky. That story is eerily weaved throughout the play….but believe me, it works.

The wives try to protect the youngest from the officer but it’s only a matter of time before he starts to call on her. At the end of act one, when she relays how much she hates him laying his hands on her, we know her rebellion is just beginning.

The play is a look inside what it’s like to live in a war zone. It’s a look into a group of women who have been dehumanized. It’s intense, it’s wonderful. I hope that you see it while you have a chance. Get info about the show here: http://eclipsedbroadway.com.

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In preparation for another story, I saw Beautiful: The Carole King Musical last night, and I have only one question: what took me so long?

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

In 2-1/2 hours, I learned so much about not only Carole King but also the history of rock and roll. Did you know that “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”, penned with Gerry Goffin, was Carole’s first Number One hit, when she was just 17? I had no idea that she entered the music industry as a teenager after meeting the legendary songwriter Gerry Goffin and went on to produce hits like the Shirelles’ “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” Little Eva’s “The Loco-Motion,” and the Drifters’ “Some King of Wonderful”. Even better, each hit is sung by an impeccably talented cast, which brought the reality of her own legendary status even more to light with me.

The two songwriters had a loving but tumultuous personal and professional relationship. Perhaps they met too young (she got pregnant with their first child while still quite young), perhaps they were two artists navigating careers that catapulted too quickly, or perhaps it was her humble and modest sense of herself (hence the title of the show- it’s not until the show culminates at Carnegie Hall with King’s performance celebrating the release of her first solo album Tapestry that she truly accepts who she is).

Or, of course, it’s named after her hit called Beautiful where King sings:

When people are gonna treat you better, you’ll find, yes you will, you’re beautiful as you feel.

The show will make you sing – it may make you cry. It will easily make you dance in your seat, and like me, you’ll go home and download and listen to everything King ever wrote. Kudos to Chillina Kennedy, Scott L. Campbell, Anika Larsen, Jarrod Spector, Paul Anthony Stewart, Liz Larsen and the rest of the phenomenal cast of Beautiful.

Head to the show’s web site for ticket information.

Disclosure: I was provided with complimentary tickets to facilitate this review and others. As usual, all opinions are my own.

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Motherstruck!

The show is also directed by Cynthia Nixon and produced by Rosie O’Donnell, two women I admire immensely, particularly for the contributions to NYC theater they have both made over the years. I immediately wanted to get the show on my agenda.

And I’m so glad I did. Staceyann appeared familiar to me at the start. She got her start in the 1990s at a poetry cafe called the Nuyorican Cafe in the East Village, where I frequently went for a dose of culture in my 20s and remember her strong, brave delivery that I witnessed in person back then. Her 100-minute one woman show is intense and gripping, and her delivery so compelling. It is no wonder that Nixon and O’Donnell joined up with her to make sure her story gets told. The combination of their power and commitment to her story is bold, courageous and significant particularly because the play hasn’t had the smoothest road. Performances were initially scheduled to begin September 24 at Culture Project’s Lynn Redgrave Theater, but were delayed indefinitely due to a lack of resources.

But Nixon and O’Donnell, and a whole slate of producers, saw MotherStruck!’s potential and pushed through to make this show happen. They clearly felt Chin’s message and story was one that needed to be told and waited until the resources were in place. Nixon has been vocal about her involvement and passion in Chin’s story:

…I was stunned by Staceyann’s ability to recall in such depth biographical details of her life, both recent and long ago. She is leading a remarkable life that is fascinating to hear about because of the many seemingly insurmountable obstacles she has overcome, but it is also fascinating because of the way in which she chooses to tell you about it – the humor, the drama, the poetry, the political backdrop, the jaw-dropping specificity – that compels you to listen as long as she is speaking. Staceyann is a national treasure, and I’m so proud and excited to be part of the telling of this most precious chapter in her life.

A Personal Journey to Motherhood

MotherStruck! is about Chin’s personal journey to motherhood as a single woman, lesbian and activist who does not have health insurance or a “serious, stable financial set up,” but wants to have a child, which she eventually does via IVF. Told through her uniquely personal and poetic lens, it explores how the process changed her life and how she makes peace with what she learns along the way. It’s not only about the people who help her but primarily about how she helps herself. She’s strong and talks about the challenges she faced growing up and how these challenges have made her a better mother.

The result is pretty harrowing yet completely uplifting. Chin’s honesty about the challenges of motherhood are so relatable and is a dose of reality that all women face. I found myself nodding and smiling in commiseration despite our different experiences. As expected, Nixon’s directorial techniques that make her story even more compelling. As Chin tells the audience about the challenges of getting pregnant and becoming a mother, she walks around the theater looking audience members directly in the face. Music is played to amplify moments and the sparse set with a big orange pillow somehow works perfectly to accompany her storytelling method.

I’m not typically a one-man show lover, but MotherStruck! was different. It’s special and a show you need to see, one that I hope you see.

The Lynn Redgrave Theater is located at 45 Bleecker St., New York. Tickets can be purchased by calling OvationTix at (866) 811-4111 or online at CultureProject.org., or we have a 20% off discount code for you – just click here.

Disclosure: I was not compensated to write this review and all opinions are my own.

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When my 11 year-old son asked me to take him to see School of Rock on Broadway, I was both surprised and thrilled. I haven’t taken him to a show since 2010, when I took my cue at Stomp, when his sensorial issues took over. It was a combination of being over stimulated and noise that were just too much for him.

But he loved the movie this show is based on – so much so that he’s watched it several times on Netflix. Somehow during the summer he took note of its pending Broadway arrival, as did I with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s name attached, and we both became determined to see it once it hit NYC. Still, I questioned his focus and ability to stay out late on a weekday night but went with an open mind.

If you haven’t seen the movie (and you should), it’s based on the Richard Linklater film starring Jack Black. Believe it or not, Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes adapted it for the stage, yet his style somehow is perfect and the adaptation faithful and appropriate for film lovers like my son. He admitted during intermission that the reason the show was working for him was indeed that he knew the story inside out, and the play’s authenticity helped. I must also tell you that I caught glimpses of my son clapping to the music, composed by Webber himself, and he never once closed his eyes (to sleep). If you only knew the happiness I felt in these moments….

The main character is called Dewey Finn, a slightly edgy, scruffy musician who gets kicked out of his band at the beginning of the show. Lying in bed, feeling sorry for himself, he answers the phone to find a prep school looking for his roommate to come teach temporarily. Once in that position, which he talks himself into, he takes a class of kids in school uniform and turns them into rock stars, calling the classroom the School of Rock. What is seemingly a group of very intelligent children is also a group of extremely talented musicians. Zack is a brilliant guitarist, Tomika has a beautiful voice and even Summer, a feminist, can sing. But how long will it last before they are caught? It takes a Parents Visiting Night for the bubble to burst but there is a twist, which you won’t know if you haven’t seen the film.

But I owe much of this play’s success to Alex Brightman, who plays Dewey. He resembles Jack Black almost exactly, from his appearance to his voice, and he’s a really, really good singer and musician. Also Sierra Boggess, who plays the nerdy principal of Horace Green, is a pretty wonderful actress and singer. In general, though, it’s the kids who rule the show, though – they’re a very talented group.

While not perfect, I suspect the producers are still ironing out imperfections (clunky storylines, loud music are two examples), School of Rock is already a hit at the box office and I have a feeling it will be around for a while. I’m most grateful to the show for bringing my son back to Broadway after a long hiatus. (Today he’s downloading the soundtrack.)

Disclosure: I received complimentary tickets to facilitate this review but all opinions are my own.

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Guest writer Liat Ginsberg is a mother and former journalist for the Israeli newspaper, Maariv. She taught at the Film and Media Department at Hunter College.

How many of us have to deal with our kids constantly nagging us for unhealthy snacks? It’s a non-ending battle, and as a parent you know that there is no perfect solution that fits all.

If you want to feel good about your everyday battle, take your young kids to see The Berenstain Bears LIVE! in Family Matters, the Musical.

The musical combines three books, Bears Learn about Strangers, The Berenstain Bears’ Trouble at School, and The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food.

The Berenstain Bear family will also teach your little ones in a fun way how to wash hands when they come home, not to talk to strangers, about responsibility to your sibling, the importance of homework, how not to keep secrets from parents, the importance of exercise and more.

Some might argue that the play should have focused on one book or one issue. I assert that the kids in the audience were able to tolerate all three books. They sat and listened for 55 minutes.

The play is a combination of entertainment and education. The smartest way to educate kids is not through lecturing, but through fun, stories and by example. The kids have fun with music and don’t even realize that they are being lectured, the main reason is because the story is told from a perspective of Brother and Sister Bear whom the kids can identify with.

Don’t be surprised if your kids will ask you to read The Berenstain Bears for days after the show.

If you are not familiar with the books, the series of books is about a family of Bears – Mama, Papa and their cubs, named Brother and Sister and their day to day problems and how they solve them . In the 1960’s and 1970’s, parents probably did not have many parenting classes as we have now. Rather they had children books.

The actors were very energetic, warm, real and were able to keep the young ones tuned throughout the play.

The kids; favorite part was when Papa Bear bends over and splits his pants, revealing his colorful underwear. Papa is doing what many parents will not admit. They do what they tell their kids not to do, especially when it comes to eating sweet.

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Have you ever had this arguement with your husband? A medium size box comes in the mail and he wants to throw it out. You say, “No way! The kids will love playing with it. It’s big enough for three kids to go inside.” He replies, “I do not want junk in my house!” But you refuse to give up, he gives in and the kids play with the cardboard box for hours. Then every time he passes by them playing with it, he says, “I told you not throw it out!”.

Paper Planet is for any age. Younger kids will enjoy the freedom to tear paper and glue. Older kids can make more sophisticated art. Polyglot Theatre has come all the way from Melbourne, Australia with the show, taking place at the New Victory Theater, at The Duke on 42nd Street until June 7.

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Every now and then I have a magical Broadway experience where a play knocks me out of my zone and brings together music, a social issue, talent and good story-telling. Today was such a day when I saw the play FUN HOME. I don’t think I’ve had this kind of experience since seeing Next to Normal about five years ago. FUN HOME, a play based on a book by Alison Bechdel (yes, also of the famous Bechdel Test), and directed by the wonderful Sam Gold, is a play that left me giving the cast a standing ovation. There are so many things to say about this play, I’m not quite sure where to start.

The musical, which opened at the Circle in the Square Theater on Sunday night, was a finalist for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for drama and enjoyed a sold-out, extended run Off Broadway.

It is based on the best-selling graphic memoir, “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic,” by lesbian writer/cartoonist Alison Bechdel about her dysfunctional family and childhood in rural Pennsylvania .

It’s also about the power of memory and how our childhoods shape our entire lives. Alison’s flashbacks guide us through the story of her own life and they help us understand why she is who she is today. The daughter of a funeral home owner and actress/teacher, she shows us how idyl her life was once upon a time as a child when she was denied the truth about her father. We soon find out that he was gay, in the closet and later chose to kill himself when she herself would finally come out as a lesbian in college. Her realization about her own sexuality came early; he chose to shield his sexuality as much as possible but it was hard to keep a secret forever. She tell us, “I had no idea what was coming.” But the truth came and it hit home hard. As a cartoonist, we see Alison frame her imagery and place captions based on the reality of her past and that is how she came to terms of it.

Lisa Kron adapted Bechdel’s book and provided the lyrics for Jeanine Tesori’s score for the show that is staged in the round by director Gold.

The cast is stupdendous, truly outstanding. Actress Beth Malone is the adult Bechdel, as she reminisces about growing up in the funeral home, which is shortened to ‘fun home’ by the family. Emily Skeggs, as the college student, and Sydney Lucas, as a child, are younger versions of the author.

Michael Cerveris, a Tony winner,” is Bechdel’s domineering father, Bruce, and Judy Kuhn is his long-suffering wife Helen. Together they portray a couple holding it together for their children, during a time (presumably 20 years ago) when it wasn’t easy to be gay.

The fact that we have a major Broadway show portraying homosexuality in a very realistic, honest way is simply fantastic. The fact that the theater was full during the performance I was at is also wonderful. I loved FUN HOME, and if you’re in New York or planning to visit, this is the one play I recommend you see.

Information about the show can be found here.

Disclosure: I was provided with complimentary tickets but all opinions are my own.

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Liat Ginsberg is a mother and a former Journalist for the Israeli newspaper Maariv. She taught at the Film and Media department at Hunter College.

When the pamphlet of The New Acting Company advertised that the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream is appropriate for kids age 5 and up, I doubted it. I told myself , “How could a kid understand a language from 1594”? But I decided to take the risk with my 5 year old twins. I already imagined that they are going to embarrass me and I’ll have to leave the theatre in the middle of the play.

To my amazement, they sat through the play and at times even laughed very loudly. Yes, they did not understand the story but they were able to find many amusing scenes that adults are already sarcastic about. The play was a lesson for how children theatre can be clever, sophisticated and amusing at the same time.

A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies and this production has updated it to fit our time, and teaches us that human emotions do not change with the times. The production is directed by The New Acting Company’s Producing Artistic Director, Stephen Michael Rondel, and choreographed by Ede Thurrell. The script has been reimagined and adapted by Mary Jo Bono.

The Production Stars; Andrea Alton, Sha James Beamon, Matt Bloch, Madeline Calandrillo, Lily Davis, James Leaf and Introducing; Eloise Esseks and Anne-Sophie Vandenberk. They are young, but very convincing.

The comic relief of the play was Sha James Beamon who played Puck. Also known as Robin Goodfellow, Puck is Oberon’s jester, a mischievous fairy who delights in playing pranks on mortals. Though A Midsummer Night’s Dream divides its action between several groups of characters, Puck is the closest thing the play has to a protagonist. His enchanting, mischievous spirit pervades the atmosphere, and his antics are responsible for many of the complications that propel the other main plots: he mistakes the young Athenians, applying the love potion to Lysander instead of Demetrius, thereby causing chaos within the group of young lovers; he also transforms Bottom’s head into that of an ass. (spark notes)

Sha James Beamon is an actor in addition to a funny comedian, his facial expression are very amusing and convincing. My son couldn’t have enough of him, and even danced with him at the end of the play along with other kids who danced with other actors.

Behind us sat two fifth grade girls that had to memorize the original shakespeare play by heart for school. For them, the modern twist was refreshing.

All performances take place at The Celebration Of Whimsy, 21-A Clinton Street and runs through April 26th.

Disclosure: We were provided with complimentary tickets to facilitate this review but all opinions are our own.

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