The Best Shows of 2015: Part II

With the impending arrival of 2015, it's time to take a look back at the year that was and assess some of the highlights of the year in theatre. I've already shared 5 of my Best of 2015 picks in my previous post, and today it is time to reveal my picks for the Top 5 shows of the past calendar year. As always, this list is limited to productions which officially opened in 2015 and which I actually saw, so think of it more as a personal favorite list rather than a definitive ranking.

Without further ado, here are my favorite theatrical experiences of 2015!

5) Honeymoon in Vegas

Rob McClure (center) and the cast of Honeymoon in Vegas

Jason Robert Brown just can't seem to catch a break when it comes to his Broadway shows. Just like the criminally ignored Bridges of Madison County (my absolute favorite show of 2014), Honeymoon in Vegas was another stellar musical that just couldn't find an audience. Brown's first attempt at full blown musical comedy, this delightful Vegas-set tale featured a brassy, big band score and the kind of witty, tongue-twisting lyrics the composer is known for. The cast was first rate, especially Rob McClure and Brynn O'Malley as the romantic leads, so I couldn't begin to tell you why the well-reviewed show didn't do better at the box office. Maybe it was the prolonged two-month preview period, which made the show seem like old news by the time it opened in mid-January. Maybe it was the presence of Tony Danza in the cast, which many people seemed to mistake for stunt casting even though the TV star actually turned in a rather appealing performance. Thankfully the show received a cast album, and I suspect that like many of Brown's other works this is a show that will be discovered and cherished by many musical theatre fans for years to come.

4) The Color Purple

Jennifer Hudson leads the cast of The Color Purple in a rousing rendition of "Push Da Button."

There are many reason to praise God for John Doyle's absolutely stunning revival of The Color Purple, but perhaps the biggest blessing of this scaled back version is it has allowed critics to see what I saw while rushing the original Broadway production 10 years ago: The Color Purple is a superbly written emotional sucker punch of a show, a harrowing but ultimately joyous celebration of life and overcoming adversity. This production also finally brought Jennifer Hudson to Broadway, something we've all been waiting for since her Oscar-winning turn as Effie White in the Dreamgirls film. And while Hudson is excellent, the talk of the town is sure to be British newcomer Cynthia Erivo, who blows the roof off the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre as the beleaguered Miss Celie. Erivo inhabits the role with a commanding stage presence that far exceeds her diminutive frame, and her powerhouse voice turns mere songs into soul rattling epiphanies set to music. Even if the rest of the production was garbage, this Color Purple would be worth seeing for Erivo alone. The fact that the rest of the cast often matches her awe-inspiring commitment and intensity makes this easily one of the best shows of the year.

3) The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Michael Arden and Ciara Renee in Paper Mill Playhouse's The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

The best Disney Theatrical show I've ever seen didn't even make it to New York, instead playing across the river in New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse. The long-rumored stage adaptation of Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame took the most problematic film of the studio's Animation Renaissance and de-Disneyfied it, returning to the darker, more melancholy tone of Victor Hugo's original novel. This approach made all the difference, resulting in a decidedly adult show that didn't shy away from the nastier implications of this Parisian-set tragedy. In providing the villainous Claude Frollo with more morally complex, clearly defined motivations, he actually emerged as an even more monstrous and menacing villain than the cartoonishly evil character in the film (a quality augmented by Patrick Page's excellent performance). And let's not forget Michael Arden's wonderfully effective and thrillingly sung take on the title character, nor Ciara Renee's beguiling gypsy Esmeralda. I ultimately understand Disney's decision not to move the show to Broadway (it is not one of the family-friendly spectacles the company has become known for), but that doesn't lessen the sting of the show's all too brief run. I'm just glad I made the trek out to Jersey before it closed.

2) The King and I

Tony-winner Kelli O'Hara and Tony-nominee Ken Watanabe in Lincoln Center's The King and I. I'll say it again: TONY-WINNER KELLI O'HARA!

Simply glorious. That's the best way to describe the absolutely transcendent Lincoln Center Theatre production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I, one of the most lavishly produced and lovingly crafter musical revivals I've ever seen. From the second the radiant (now Tony-winner!) Kelli O'Hara makes her entrance on the imposing prow of her ship to the final tableau of Anna and the King of Siam surrounded by the next generation, this expertly handled production remains riveting throughout its three hour runtime. Director Bartlett Sher's genius lies in his ability to radically alter the way a show is performed without appearing to do anything at all, to the point where you leave the theatre convinced his take on the material is what the authors had always intended. This King and I functions as both a family friendly musical entertainment and a highly complex character drama, directly tackles issues such as female empowerment and the nature of rule while providing all the eye-popping visuals audiences have come to expect in a modern musical. Anchoring it all is O'Hara and the supremely talented cast, which also includes the hypnotic Ruthie Ann Miles as the King's primary wife, Lady Thiang. This is as good a production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic as we're ever likely to see, and it will hopefully run for a good long while.

1) Hamilton

You know your show has a devoted following when a minor character like Peggy Schuyler (who has maybe 10 lines total) has her own rabid fanbase.

How could anything but Hamilton top my list of 2015's best shows? Lin-Manuel Miranda's hip-hop magnum opus has dominated Broadway websites for the better part of the year, while also crossing over into pop-culture in a way few musicals ever do. Yet the reason Hamilton tops my personal list is not its record-breaking financial success, nor its near ubiquity in the theatrical conversation. The show earns the title of Best Show of 2015 due to the fact that when you strip away all the hype, you are left with a near-perfect piece of theatrical writing, brazenly adventurous and yet hugely respectful of all that has come before. The score is a compulsively listenable work of genius, instantly captivating and yet so richly nuanced that new surprises reveal themselves with each repeated hearing. The cast is simply astounding, from Miranda's commanding performance in the title role to Leslie Odom, Jr.'s star making turn as Aaron Burr to the scene stealing Daveed Diggs in the dual roles of the Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson. And let's not forget Phillipa Soo's deeply felt performance as Eliza Hamilton or Renee Elise Goldsberry's revelatory (and Tony-worthy) work as Eliza's sister Angelica. Everyone from the top billed stars to the ensemble - one of the hardest working group of dancer/singers on Broadway - give 110% from start to finish, executing Thomas Kail's brilliant staging and Andy Blankenbuehler's hard-hitting choreography flawlessly. Do whatever you have to secure a ticket and witness theatrical history being made, as Hamilton may well prove to be the Best Show of the Decade.


And that wraps up my look back at the Best Shows of 2015. Looking back, the breadth of the type of shows which have been produced, and their artistic daring, gives me great hope for the future of the industry. This is a year where producers took some major risks, and many of them paid off not only artistically but commercially. An intimate musical about a lesbian coming to terms with her closeted father won the Tony and turned a profit, and a hip-hop musical with a multi-ethnic cast has become the most critically and commercially successful musical in years. Here's hoping for a 2016 that is equally varied and artistically ambitious, and be sure to keep checking Broadway Etc. for coverage of all the latest and greatest the New York theatre scene has to offer.

Happy New Year!

The Dark and Beautiful Bells of "Notre Dame"

Review: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Michael Arden leads the cast of Disney's first-rate Hunchback of Notre Dame at Paper Mill Playhouse.

Some readers may find the following statement blasphemous, but I stand by it: Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame is not a good movie. No matter how glorious the score may be (and it is indeed glorious), the animated film embodies a lot of the problems that occur when the Mouse House attempts to bend more complex material to its family friendly house style. Tonally and emotionally, the film doesn't work, either on its own merits or especially as an adaptation of Victor Hugo's dark, morally complicated novel.

Which makes the stage adaptation of that very same film currently running at Paper Mill Playhouse all the more remarkable. This Hunchback fixes virtually all of the problems with the animated film while augmenting its strongest feature, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz's sweeping score. This adaptation may not be perfect, but it is the most thematically interesting piece Disney Theatricals has ever produced, and is quite possibly the company's best musical to date.

Right from the start, the show makes clear it will be a darker, more complex version of this tale. In addition to restoring antagonist Claude Frollo to his position as Archdeacon - the film portrayed him as a judge to avoid being seen as a critique of the church - the musical's prologue also provides us with much more detail about his background. This not only creates a far greater understanding of Frollo's motivations, but makes the character simultaneously more sympathetic and more monstrous, as his often deplorable actions can no longer be written off as the ravings of a cartoon villain.

Frollo raises Quasimodo, the "half formed" hunchback of the title, in seclusion deep inside the Norte Dame cathedral, forbidding his charge from going outside in order to protect him from the jeers and mockery of a callous public. On the day of the Feast of Fools, the one day a year when gypsies are allowed to roam the city streets without punishment, Quasimodo sneaks out of the cathedral only to meet and fall in love with the beautiful Esmeralda, whose kind soul and beguiling ways also attract the attention of Captain Phoebus and the lustful Frollo.

Peter Parnell's book has no problem throwing out large segments of the film in favor of plot points that hew more closely to the source material, almost invariably for the better. Gone are the talking, singing gargoyles that serve as Quasimodo's friends/confidantes in the film, along with most of the movie's more overtly comedic sequences. Parnell does allow some laughs in order to prevent the show from collapsing under the weight of its own seriousness, but unlike most Disney musicals this show is clearly aimed at adults.

Composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz have augmented their liturgical-inspired film score with equally grand new material, all of which sounds especially glorious when sung by the full choir which occupies the upstage portion of Alexander Dodge's multi-tiered set. Menken's richly layered work is occasionally undermined by Michael Starobin's sometimes questionable orchestrations, which can sound bright and cheery when the lyrics and melody are quite the opposite. But overall this Hunchback sounds every bit as epic as movie fans could hope, and there is no denying the score's raw emotional power.

The casting of the central trio of Quasimodo, Frollo, and Esmeralda is pitch perfect, taking already strong material and deepening it through the power of their performances. Michael Arden is a revelation as the partially deaf Quasimodo, his full commitment to the character's physicality and mannerisms completely selling the hunchback's deformity despite minimal makeup. Arden also sounds fantastic, with a rich, full tenor that avoids the shrillness that sometimes plagues contemporary musical theatre actors. His rendition of Quasimodo's anthem "Out There" is particularly lovely, expertly sung and acted with such pureness that you can't help but get swept away by the moment.

Patrick Page and his booming bass were tailor-made to play Frollo, and the actor's unwavering conviction to every syllable he utters is positively transfixing. It's difficult to label his Frollo a villain, both due to the increased understanding provided by the aforementioned prologue and Page's incredibly nuanced performance, but he is often terrifying and the lengths to which he's willing to go to get what he wants are horrific. It's a shame Frollo's big number "Hellfire," easily the film's most memorable thanks to its unsettling chord progression and some absolutely stunning animation, doesn't land with quite the same effectiveness onstage despite Page's best efforts. Starobin's simplified orchestrations remove most of the song's bite, and sound designer Gareth Owen could stand to turn down the choir's mics so that Page's voice is more prominent throughout.

As Esmeralda, Ciara Renee takes a character in danger of becoming a plot device and turns her into a fully formed human being. Beautiful and exotic, Renee oozes confidence and sexuality without ever becoming vulgar or trashy, and she manages to genuinely connect with the men in the show without appearing to manipulate them or lead them on. She is particularly lovely during her Act I duet with Arden called "Top of the World," which solidifies Quasimodo and Esmeralda's relationship and sets up the story's deeply moving conclusion (fair warning: it's nowhere near as cheery as the animated film). Andrew Samonsky is serviceable as Phoebus and Erik Liberman has some nice moments as the gypsies' leader Clopin, but the show ultimately belongs to Arden, Page, and Renee.

Director Scott Schwartz - the son of lyricist Stephen Schwartz - directs the show with a firm hand that keeps things moving without sacrificing character moments; this is the only adaptation of an animated Disney film that doesn't feel unnecessarily padded out. Furthermore, the younger Schwartz's decision to stage the show using only techniques available during the story's fifteenth century setting makes for a refreshing change of pace from the technical wizardry often on display in such big budget musicals. He lets the audience's imagination do a lot of the work, which makes the piece more theatrical and more cinematic, as your mind provides the sweeping vistas and grand visuals Schwartz couldn't possibly achieve onstage. He makes excellent use of Dodge's gorgeous set, which suggests the cathedral and its surroundings without getting bogged down in producing an exact replica of it.

As of right now, Disney has not announced any plans for Hunchback beyond its current engagement at Paper Mill. The show is certainly strong enough to transfer to Broadway; Menken and Schwartz's score deserves to be heard live by as many people as possible, and the central performances are all top notch. But this dark and morally complex tale is decidedly off-brand for the family-friendly company, which means there's a very real possibility the show's professional life ends when this run concludes on April 5th. So fans of the score and anyone interested in seeing what happens when Disney Theatricals puts its considerable resources behind riskier artistic fare owes it to themselves to catch this production before its too late. This show is definitely worth the trek.