"Get in the truck!"

Another little theater trip this past weekend for me and gmtarkin. BTW, if you can visit Times Square after an evening show in the middle of a snowstorm, it's a pretty cool sight.

It's been a while since our last trip, and I think even longer since I last did one of my quickie theater reviews. So, I'll include a recent SpeakEasy show here as well. And now, without further ado...



2009-11-25 Reckless, Roberts Theatre, Boston. Billed as a dark comedy, but the best line is in the first five minutes, and after that it kind of falls flat. Great performances by many SpeakEasy stalwarts, and the set design is inventive, but neither the author nor the director seem to uncover a point to the odd storyline.

2009-12-19 Billy Elliot, Imperial Theatre, NYC. Great set design and implementation, and a great job by Trent Kowalik in an Elton John musical which thankfully doesn't sound the same as his other musicals.

2009-12-19 Next to Normal, Booth Theatre, NYC. A fascinating (and apparently quite true-to-life, according to my med student wife) portrayal, acted stellarly by the entire cast (including understudy Jessica Phillips in for Alice Ripley). Special kudos to the amazing orchestra, who really showed what a talented 6-person ensemble can do.

2009-12-20 The Understudy, Roundabout (Pels Theatre), NYC. A rare thing these days -- a new comedy that doesn't exhaust its concept 30 minutes in, and actually stays funny. Mark-Paul Gosselaar is fun as the action star on Broadway, but Justin Kirk and Julie White are standouts as the understudy and stage manager. Also hilarious is the author's "newly discovered Kafka play", and the sets to match.