Avenue Q

What a great show!

When it won the Tony in... um... a couple years ago, I thought this was a soundtrack I'd want to hear. So I bought it to hear on a ride from DC down to Williamsburg.

I laughed my ass off on every song.

Now Kat and I have gone to see the show (it's playing in DC 'only for now' at the National Theatre) and we had a blast. We were both humming along with the songs, applauding at the punchlines and generally enjoying every minute. Kat was surprised by how graphic the sexual content is, while I liked how they integrated a lot of Sesame Street elements through flyaway TV screens.

The cast was fantastic and I was not surprised that many of them have been on the Broadway and/or Las Vegas casts. In particular, we loved Minglie Chen (who played Kate and a bunch of other folks)--she brought real heart to "There's A Fine, Fine Line" and "Mix Tape." We also loved (oh great, I don't have the cast from last night handy-- I'll have to add names later) the actress who played Christmas Eve, the actor who played Princeton and the Bad Idea Bears--they were absolutely adorable little "friends from Hell." But *everyone* in the cast was terrific, well deserving of the ovation they got last night.

If you have the chance, catch the show. We think you'll enjoy it-- but leave the kids at home. This ain't Sesame Street, friends.

Official site.
Artwork copyright Avenue Q, all rights reserved.

Taming of the Shrew, Washington DC

Kat and I met our friend Sherin (familiar to all you readers of BPD) on Saturday to see "The Taming of the Shrew" at the Harman Center for the Arts in downtown DC (7th St NW, y'all). I'd been in a production (as Biondello, the hapless younger servant of Lucentio) many years ago and figured it'd be fun to watch the show instead of being in it.

We were floored. What a great production! We loved Charlayne Woodard as Katherina and Christopher Innvar as Petruchio especially; their chemistry was brawling, physical, lusty and exciting to see develop. Truly a very well-chosen pair for this role.

We also liked: Nicholas Hormann as the beset-but-enterprising father Baptista; Lisa Birnbaum as the much-desired (but ultimately less pleasing) Bianca; Aubrey Deeker as Hortensio (who plays the character as a '70s-era slicked-back caricature- well done!); Michael Milligan as Lucentio/Cambio, who wins a prize that may not be all he'd hoped; and the diverse cast of disowned fathers, cunning servants (Louis Butelli as Grumio was superb and Bruce Nelson as Tranio a pleasure to watch) and impostors (several of the men adopt aliases, which can become dizzying). In all, the cast was fantastic.

But the cast was fortunate enough to have a setting that matches their artistry. The blog wants to pay special compliments to director Rebecca Bayla Taichman and set designer Narelle Sissons for going above and beyond. The staging was ingenious.

As a side note, Kat and I have discussed at length the outcome of the play. Not to spoil anything but Katherina's final speech may strike many as the product of a monstrously chauvinistic and un-PC society. But I think:

• Petruchio shared all of the deprivations he inflicted on Katherina-- he didn't feast while she starved or slept while she remained awake;
• as staged, there is absolutely no doubt of his love for her--he simply needs to get her attention and does so in the most efficient way possible, and he earns her love by the end;
• Katherina "gets" Petruchio-- this is their game, their way of understanding each other, and her willingness to submit is more an acknowledgement of their partnership than of her spirit being broken

That's my take, anyway.

If you're looking for an outstanding trip to the theater, check out "Shrew" while you can. It's been extended through this week, so go see it! Now!