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2/24/2020 POPSURFING.COM: THEA TER: Reviewing The Revue Of Maury Y eston
popsurfing.blogspot.com/2019/12/theater -reviewing-revue-of-maury-leston.html 1/4FRIDAY, DECEMBER 06, 2019
THEATER: Reviewing The Revue Of Maury Yest on
ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN IN THE THEATER: THE MUSICAL
WORLD
OF MAURY YESTON ** 1/2 out of ****
YORK THEATRE COMPANY
It's no secret that Gerard Alessandrini's Forbidden Broadway shows
are mercilessly funny valentine's to the musicals they spoof. His
genuine love for the theater takes the sting out of some pretty waspish
observations. Well, here Alessandrini plays it straight. In what may be
his first musical revue, he's crafted a classically conceived tribute to the
work of lyricist/composer Maury Yeston.
Yeston needs no boost. He's got multiple Tonys, two huge Broadway
hits in Grand Hotel and Nine and a masterpiece with Titanic . (That
one's going to be a big hit whenever it's properly revived.) But boost
him Alessandrini does. Sure, Nine dominates, with five of the 25+
shows on hand. In contrast, Grand Hotel has three, his off Broadway
hit Death Takes A Holiday just one and Titanic doesn't appear until
the finale, since its numbers perhaps don't make as much sense out of
context.
That leaves more than half the show celebrating songs new to most, a
far cry from most revues for artists of Yeston's stature. His work is
lovingly showcased in a pitch perfect setting. The design by James
Morgan is simple and clean, the choreography by Gerry McIntyre
modest as it should be, the lighting by Jacob Zedek supportive without
calling attention to itself, the costumes by Melinda Hare no-fuss until
they add some Forbidden -like humor and pianist/musical director
Greg Jarrett is the hardest working person in the room.
Alessandrini oversees it all with impeccable taste. The show is a tight
75 minutes, the song choices intelligently balanced, the transitions
between numbers thoughtfully done and ensemble moments balancedMICHAEL GILTZ AT WORK
Michael Giltz is a freelance writer
based in NYC and can be reached at
mgiltz@pipeline.com
FAVORITE LINKS
Americablog
Five O'Clock Lightning baseball blog
Deep Pop -- Lori Lakin's Blog
The Back Page -- Jason Page on ESPN
Radio
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Documents On Art & Cinema - Daryl
Chin's Blog
Brucie G's Wondrous Blog Of
Adventure and Mystery -- Bruce
Greenspan's Blog
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2/24/2020 POPSURFING.COM: THEA TER: Reviewing The Revue Of Maury Y eston
popsurfing.blogspot.com/2019/12/theater -reviewing-revue-of-maury-leston.html 2/4out by duets and solo turns.
The problem, I fear, is the cast. They let down a revue that deserves
better. With stronger performers, this revue would be a home run. As it
is, they shine best when working in groups and of course the songs of
Yeston lift them up time and again. Of course, revues should work the
other way around.
Happily, while everyone falters at some point, they also have high
points. Benjamin Eakeley plays the leading man capably, Alex Getlin's
soft-rock vibrato is a treat the first time around, Jovan E'Sean does his
best when introducing "Mississippi Moon" and both Justin Keyes and
Mamie Parris make the most of any humor on tap. (Keyes' vocals
simply aren't up to the demands of "Sant n' Pepper" while Parris has
more to offer with her pipes throughout the night.)
Any time the cast works together the results are stronger, whether it's
the tribute-to-actors ensemble opener "Anything Can Happen In The
Theater," the sweet duet "You're There Too" (E'Sean and Keyes) or the
far more comic "No Women In The Bible," featuring Getlin and Parris.
Like any revue worth the name, this one makes you want to revisit (or
visit) Yeston's shows. Only the written to order title song feels a little by
the numbers. The rest intrigue, like his own spin on The Phantom Of
The Opera and the four songs from In The Beginning, a Biblical romp
Alessandrini once directed in Maine, apparently. (That's a line worthy
of Forbidden !) And the finale of "Godspeed, Titanic" never fails to raise
goosebumps for me, whether during its original run on Broadway, at
my niece's high school production a few years ago (full orchestra!) or
by the cast here for their curtain call. That stirring drama will certainly
have new life someday soon. Given the quality of the songs and the
sturdiness of its construction, I'm sure this revue will too.
And fans of Alessandrini should keep an eye out for Forbidden
Broadway: The Next Generation, which re-opens at the York starting
January 15. It's one of his best.The Movies, Books, Theater,
Concerts, CDs I Saw/Re...
THEATER: Two Of Our Best
Playwrights Return To NYC...
THEATER: THE GOOD NEWS,
OR AT LEAST ONE FOURTH
OF ...
THEATER: Reviewing The
Revue Of Maury Yeston
THEATER: "Barber Shop
Chronicles" Offers A Clean
S...
Theater Best Of The 2010s
BookFilter Reading List
TV and Film Must Watch List
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► October (18)
► September (10)
► August (9)
► July (7)
► June (3)
► May (6)
► April (10)
► March (5)
► February (1)
► January (8)
► 2018 (35)
► 2017 (6)
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[HD] Anything Can Happen In[HD] Anything Can Happen In ……
2/24/2020 POPSURFING.COM: THEA TER: Reviewing The Revue Of Maury Y eston
popsurfing.blogspot.com/2019/12/theater -reviewing-revue-of-maury-leston.html 3/4THEATER OF 2019
Frankenstein: Under The Radar Fest at the Public ** 1/2
Minor Character: Under The Radar Festival at the Public ***
Ink: Under The Radar Festival at the Public ** 1/2
Choir Boy ** 1/2
White Noise ** 1/2
Kiss Me, Kate ***
Ain't No Mo' *** 1/2
Ain't Too Proud **
The Cradle Will Rock * 1/2
Mrs. Murray's Menagerie *** 1/2
Oklahoma! (on Broadway) ** 1/2
Socrates **
The Pain Of My Belligerence *
Burn This **
Hadestown *** 1/2
All My Sons * 1/2
Tootsie ** 1/2
Ink ***
Beetlejuice **
Estado Vegetal ***
Hans Christian Andersen * 1/2
Cirque du Soleil: Luzia ***
BLKS ** 1/2
Moulin Rouge ** 1/2
Bat Out Of Hell **
Unchilding **
Sea Wall/ A Life ** 1/2
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ***
Betrayal *** 1/2
Fifty Million Frenchmen ** 1/2
Freestyle Love Supreme ** 1/2
Derren Brown: Secret ***
(A)loft Modulation * 1/2
The Great Society **
I Can't See *
Heroes Of The Fourth Turning ** 1/2
Chasing Rainbows: The Road To Oz ***
The Glass Menagerie (dir Austin Pendleton & Peter Bloch) **
Terra Firma (debut of The Coop theater company) **
Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation ***
Dublin Carol ** 1/2
Soft Power **
The Decline and Fall of The Entire World As Seen Through The Eyes Of
Cole Porter ***
For Colored Girls ** 1/2
Scotland, PA **
The Sound Inside *** (great cast, clumsy ending)
User Not Found **
Enchanted April **
DruidShakespeare: Richard III * 1/2
2/24/2020 POPSURFING.COM: THEA TER: Reviewing The Revue Of Maury Y eston
popsurfing.blogspot.com/2019/12/theater -reviewing-revue-of-maury-leston.html 4/4Newer Post Older PostBroadbend, Arkansas **
Einstein's Dreams * 1/2
The Crucible (by Bedlam) *** 1/2
Pump Girl ***
A Christmas Carol (Bway w Campbell Scott) **
Barber Shop Chronicles ***
Anything Can Happen In The Theater: The Musical World of Maury
Yeston ** 1/2
Thanks for r eading. Michael Giltz is the cr eator of BookFilter , a book lover ’s
best friend. It’s a website that lets you br owse for books online the way you do
in a physical bookstor e, provides compr ehensive info on new r eleases every
week in every category and offers passionate personal r ecommendations every
step of the way . He’s also the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox , a weekly pop cultur e
podcast that r eveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day with
top journalists and opinion makers as guests. It’ s available for fr ee on iT unes.
Visit Michael Giltz at his website . Download his podcast of celebrity
interviews and his radio show , also called Popsurfing and also available for
free on iT unes.
POSTED BY MICHAEL GILTZ AT 2:10 AM
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popsurfing.blogspot.com/2019/12/theater -reviewing-revue-of-maury-leston.html 1/4FRIDAY, DECEMBER 06, 2019
THEATER: Reviewing The Revue Of Maury Yest on
ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN IN THE THEATER: THE MUSICAL
WORLD
OF MAURY YESTON ** 1/2 out of ****
YORK THEATRE COMPANY
It's no secret that Gerard Alessandrini's Forbidden Broadway shows
are mercilessly funny valentine's to the musicals they spoof. His
genuine love for the theater takes the sting out of some pretty waspish
observations. Well, here Alessandrini plays it straight. In what may be
his first musical revue, he's crafted a classically conceived tribute to the
work of lyricist/composer Maury Yeston.
Yeston needs no boost. He's got multiple Tonys, two huge Broadway
hits in Grand Hotel and Nine and a masterpiece with Titanic . (That
one's going to be a big hit whenever it's properly revived.) But boost
him Alessandrini does. Sure, Nine dominates, with five of the 25+
shows on hand. In contrast, Grand Hotel has three, his off Broadway
hit Death Takes A Holiday just one and Titanic doesn't appear until
the finale, since its numbers perhaps don't make as much sense out of
context.
That leaves more than half the show celebrating songs new to most, a
far cry from most revues for artists of Yeston's stature. His work is
lovingly showcased in a pitch perfect setting. The design by James
Morgan is simple and clean, the choreography by Gerry McIntyre
modest as it should be, the lighting by Jacob Zedek supportive without
calling attention to itself, the costumes by Melinda Hare no-fuss until
they add some Forbidden -like humor and pianist/musical director
Greg Jarrett is the hardest working person in the room.
Alessandrini oversees it all with impeccable taste. The show is a tight
75 minutes, the song choices intelligently balanced, the transitions
between numbers thoughtfully done and ensemble moments balancedMICHAEL GILTZ AT WORK
Michael Giltz is a freelance writer
based in NYC and can be reached at
mgiltz@pipeline.com
FAVORITE LINKS
Americablog
Five O'Clock Lightning baseball blog
Deep Pop -- Lori Lakin's Blog
The Back Page -- Jason Page on ESPN
Radio
Cine-Blog -- George Robinson's Blog
Documents On Art & Cinema - Daryl
Chin's Blog
Brucie G's Wondrous Blog Of
Adventure and Mystery -- Bruce
Greenspan's Blog
BLOG ARCHIVE
► 2020 (2)
▼ 2019 (95)
▼ December (8)
More Create Blog Sign In
2/24/2020 POPSURFING.COM: THEA TER: Reviewing The Revue Of Maury Y eston
popsurfing.blogspot.com/2019/12/theater -reviewing-revue-of-maury-leston.html 2/4out by duets and solo turns.
The problem, I fear, is the cast. They let down a revue that deserves
better. With stronger performers, this revue would be a home run. As it
is, they shine best when working in groups and of course the songs of
Yeston lift them up time and again. Of course, revues should work the
other way around.
Happily, while everyone falters at some point, they also have high
points. Benjamin Eakeley plays the leading man capably, Alex Getlin's
soft-rock vibrato is a treat the first time around, Jovan E'Sean does his
best when introducing "Mississippi Moon" and both Justin Keyes and
Mamie Parris make the most of any humor on tap. (Keyes' vocals
simply aren't up to the demands of "Sant n' Pepper" while Parris has
more to offer with her pipes throughout the night.)
Any time the cast works together the results are stronger, whether it's
the tribute-to-actors ensemble opener "Anything Can Happen In The
Theater," the sweet duet "You're There Too" (E'Sean and Keyes) or the
far more comic "No Women In The Bible," featuring Getlin and Parris.
Like any revue worth the name, this one makes you want to revisit (or
visit) Yeston's shows. Only the written to order title song feels a little by
the numbers. The rest intrigue, like his own spin on The Phantom Of
The Opera and the four songs from In The Beginning, a Biblical romp
Alessandrini once directed in Maine, apparently. (That's a line worthy
of Forbidden !) And the finale of "Godspeed, Titanic" never fails to raise
goosebumps for me, whether during its original run on Broadway, at
my niece's high school production a few years ago (full orchestra!) or
by the cast here for their curtain call. That stirring drama will certainly
have new life someday soon. Given the quality of the songs and the
sturdiness of its construction, I'm sure this revue will too.
And fans of Alessandrini should keep an eye out for Forbidden
Broadway: The Next Generation, which re-opens at the York starting
January 15. It's one of his best.The Movies, Books, Theater,
Concerts, CDs I Saw/Re...
THEATER: Two Of Our Best
Playwrights Return To NYC...
THEATER: THE GOOD NEWS,
OR AT LEAST ONE FOURTH
OF ...
THEATER: Reviewing The
Revue Of Maury Yeston
THEATER: "Barber Shop
Chronicles" Offers A Clean
S...
Theater Best Of The 2010s
BookFilter Reading List
TV and Film Must Watch List
► November (10)
► October (18)
► September (10)
► August (9)
► July (7)
► June (3)
► May (6)
► April (10)
► March (5)
► February (1)
► January (8)
► 2018 (35)
► 2017 (6)
► 2016 (2)
► 2015 (21)
► 2014 (2)
► 2013 (5)
► 2012 (17)
► 2011 (15)
► 2010 (10)
► 2009 (43)
► 2008 (86)
► 2007 (781)
► 2006 (2412)
► 2005 (5)
[HD] Anything Can Happen In[HD] Anything Can Happen In ……
2/24/2020 POPSURFING.COM: THEA TER: Reviewing The Revue Of Maury Y eston
popsurfing.blogspot.com/2019/12/theater -reviewing-revue-of-maury-leston.html 3/4THEATER OF 2019
Frankenstein: Under The Radar Fest at the Public ** 1/2
Minor Character: Under The Radar Festival at the Public ***
Ink: Under The Radar Festival at the Public ** 1/2
Choir Boy ** 1/2
White Noise ** 1/2
Kiss Me, Kate ***
Ain't No Mo' *** 1/2
Ain't Too Proud **
The Cradle Will Rock * 1/2
Mrs. Murray's Menagerie *** 1/2
Oklahoma! (on Broadway) ** 1/2
Socrates **
The Pain Of My Belligerence *
Burn This **
Hadestown *** 1/2
All My Sons * 1/2
Tootsie ** 1/2
Ink ***
Beetlejuice **
Estado Vegetal ***
Hans Christian Andersen * 1/2
Cirque du Soleil: Luzia ***
BLKS ** 1/2
Moulin Rouge ** 1/2
Bat Out Of Hell **
Unchilding **
Sea Wall/ A Life ** 1/2
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ***
Betrayal *** 1/2
Fifty Million Frenchmen ** 1/2
Freestyle Love Supreme ** 1/2
Derren Brown: Secret ***
(A)loft Modulation * 1/2
The Great Society **
I Can't See *
Heroes Of The Fourth Turning ** 1/2
Chasing Rainbows: The Road To Oz ***
The Glass Menagerie (dir Austin Pendleton & Peter Bloch) **
Terra Firma (debut of The Coop theater company) **
Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation ***
Dublin Carol ** 1/2
Soft Power **
The Decline and Fall of The Entire World As Seen Through The Eyes Of
Cole Porter ***
For Colored Girls ** 1/2
Scotland, PA **
The Sound Inside *** (great cast, clumsy ending)
User Not Found **
Enchanted April **
DruidShakespeare: Richard III * 1/2
2/24/2020 POPSURFING.COM: THEA TER: Reviewing The Revue Of Maury Y eston
popsurfing.blogspot.com/2019/12/theater -reviewing-revue-of-maury-leston.html 4/4Newer Post Older PostBroadbend, Arkansas **
Einstein's Dreams * 1/2
The Crucible (by Bedlam) *** 1/2
Pump Girl ***
A Christmas Carol (Bway w Campbell Scott) **
Barber Shop Chronicles ***
Anything Can Happen In The Theater: The Musical World of Maury
Yeston ** 1/2
Thanks for r eading. Michael Giltz is the cr eator of BookFilter , a book lover ’s
best friend. It’s a website that lets you br owse for books online the way you do
in a physical bookstor e, provides compr ehensive info on new r eleases every
week in every category and offers passionate personal r ecommendations every
step of the way . He’s also the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox , a weekly pop cultur e
podcast that r eveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day with
top journalists and opinion makers as guests. It’ s available for fr ee on iT unes.
Visit Michael Giltz at his website . Download his podcast of celebrity
interviews and his radio show , also called Popsurfing and also available for
free on iT unes.
POSTED BY MICHAEL GILTZ AT 2:10 AM
NO COMMENTS:
Post a Comment
LINKS TO THIS POST
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